Over the last few weeks you may have noticed some changes: a new cup, a new foil wrap for our delicious burritos, perhaps our brand spanking new logo. Well, we thought it was time to let you know why we’re making all these changes. Ready? Here goes…

WE’VE HAD THE SAME LOOK FOR 17 YEARS!

17 years, people! It’s time for a change, don’t you think? Not only that, but after extensive research we realized that most new customers don’t know about the incredible quality of our food—that our chicken breasts are fresh, never frozen; that our guacamole is made from #1 Haas avocados; that we make dozens of recipes in small batches throughout the day so that you get the freshest food possible. So along with a new logo and new look that we think reflects the freshness of our food, going forward many of our stores will have display kitchens so you can watch the magic for yourself.

What won’t change? We’ll still have the same great food and employees; we’ll still have promotions like Pop Tart Day and the Monday Night Wheel; I’ll still make typos in Taco Talk (that would really be discombobulating if I stopped that charming little practice, wouldn’t it?). We’re saving the best and changing the rest.

And because we want you to love the new look like we do, starting February 1st, we’re handing out magnets with our new logo to anyone who stops by a Cal Tort.* Put it on your fridge, take it to your tattoo artist (wait! our lawyer says don’t do that), show it off at the next board meeting—just fall in love with it. You can also take a picture of you and our new logo and send it to skane@caltort.com. We’ll post them all on Facebook and you could win a prize.

And on a personal note:

I want to thank my many fans who’ve written in to say that they miss my picture on the cup; the reaction has been overwhelming. I haven’t checked my email today, but I think we’re up to 2 people at this point. (Seriously. How unmemorable am I?)

On that note, we hope you enjoy the changes—there are many more exciting ones to come.

*No purchase necessary – while supplies last

17 YEARS AGO WHEN WE FIRST OPENED

• Ginger Rogers was alive.
• I faxed Taco Talk to customers. At least I thought they were customers—a lot of times I got the number wrong. (Sorry, Ginger.)
• Computers used floppy discs. Of which I still have 3 bazillion—and they all say Disc #1 or Disc #2. I have no idea what the subject is.
• Some people didn’t realize that they should have spent a little more time coming up with their personal email address. Says foxxylady28@aol.
• Starbucks was in its infancy–and my husband, who through some fluke got in on the initial stock offering, was busy selling his stock because he decided “no one will ever pay $2 for a cup of coffee.”
• Starbucks has returned more than 20,000% to its initial investors. (Guess what subject comes up daily at our house?)

SPEAKING OF MY FAVORITE HAZELNUT TOPPING

We are spreading the love this Valentine’s Day, Tuesday, February 14th! We’re giving Love Chips (you heard me) and a Nutella® Hazelnut Spread sample with every entrée you purchase. Love Chips are chips sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar and Nutella® Hazelnut Spread is well, just the best thing to ever happen to the free world. It’s a chocolate and hazelnut spread that’s beyond delicious. If you haven’t tried it you have to stop by. And if you have tried it, you’ll stop by because you know of what I speak.

So come on in on Valentine’s Day and share in the joy that is Nutella® Hazelnut Spread. It’s the best Valentine’s gift you’ll ever get (from us). I promise.

AND FINALLY…

If you place a Cal Tort catering order with the lovely Melissa, our catering guru, she’ll give you a 10% bonus food credit for any order placed by this Sunday, February 5th. Handy Example: if you place an order for $300 (and please, feel free to spend more) you’ll get an additional $30 worth of food. Woo-hoo!

To place your order, call 1-855-225-8678 (I-855-CALTORT). And remember, California Tortilla has the perfect food for the SUPER big game that will BOWL you over.

THIS JUST IN…

California Tortilla’s eagerly awaited predictions for 2012. Ready?

Cal Tort’s 2012 Predictions

• Mindful of the perils of social networking, politicians will diligently work on finding a new way to send constituents photos of their body parts.
• Someone will buy a cupcake from a cupcake store and not say, “I find this cupcake dry. Do you find it dry? I don’t know what all the fuss is about. I could make this at home for a quarter.”
• The man who keeps emailing me that he’s stuck in a London hotel room without any cash, credit cards, ID or access to a phone (or door apparently) will finally figure out how to get out of that darn place. (Or am I the only one who gets this email every couple of hours?)
• Princess Kate will give birth and one of Princess Fergie’s daughters will wear the new baby as a hat.
• Scores of Taco Talk readers will point out that Fergie is a duchess, not a princess. The writer of Taco Talk will ignore them. She will also assure them that she does not endorse wearing children as headgear.
• California Tortilla will undergo some fabulous changes in 2012 and the crowds will cheer wildly. Just you wait.

You heard it here first, folks.

EVERYTHING’S BETTER WITH VEGGIES

Did you know that almost all of California Tortilla’s menu items can be made vegetarian? Just say, “Veg me!” (with gusto) when you order and we’ll switch out the protein for our delicious veggie mix: corn, red onions, zucchini and red, green and yellow peppers. PLUS, for the month of January we’ll donate 50 cents to local food banks for every veggie item sold, up to $5000. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, we’ve up the veggie ante.

See you here…

BIG GAME (as in football, not large wild animals) CATERING

Okay, for reasons unbeknownst to me I’m not allowed to say the name of the super big game coming up, but I really think you should have California Tortilla cater it; your friends and family will be super happy about it.

For a super great catering experience for all the super events in your life, call 1-855-225-8678 (1-855-CALTORT) from 9-6 Monday through Friday to place your super delicious order. Super spunky catering specialists are standing by!

And if you had any idea how much I dislike the word “super,” you’d really appreciate how painful that paragraph was for me to write.

DUE TO POPULAR DEMAND, THE GYRO BURRITO HAS BEEN EXTENDED FOR A SHORT TIME MORE! GET IT WHILE YOU CAN!

Happy New Year…

DOUBLE POINT WEDNESDAYS!

That’s right—every Wednesday in December we’re giving DOUBLE Burrito Elito points on all Cal Tort purchases.* At two points for every $1 you spend, you’ll be at 50 points, and therefore $5 in Burrito Bucks, in no time. Woo-hoo! Woo-hoo!

*Excluding catering and gift card purchases

THE HOLIDAYS ARE RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER…

And in the true holiday spirit, I’d like to tell you about all the fabulous California Tortilla-related gifts you can give your loved ones this holiday season. Just take a look…

FABULOUS CAL TORT HOLIDAY GIFT IDEAS

A Cal Tort Gift Card: This gift lets the lucky recipient know his or her worth in Mexican food, rounded to the nearest $5.

A Burrito Elito Card: After earning all those Burrito Bucks by eating at Cal Tort on Double Point Wednesdays, re-gift your Burrito Elito card—it’s just like giving cash! (Cash that’s registered in your name.)

A California Tortilla franchise: Just think how pleased Grandma will be when she finds out her dream of working in a quick-service Mexican restaurant for the rest of her life has finally been realized!

A Bottle of Hot Sauce: Help the same Grandma round out her “Colon Cleaner” hot sauce collection! (This is going to be a special, special holiday for this grandmother.)

A Cal Tort Pony: Watch our lawyer’s head explode when we even pretend this is an option! (Some things I say just for me.)

And when you’re done buying gifts for others, buy one for yourself: A Gyro Burrito or Burrito Bowl. (See below.) It’s just here for a short time more and it’s so, so good.

WE FED THE GIRL SCOUTS

A while ago we ran a contest where the prize was a Cal Tort-catered party.  One of the winners was Girl Scout Troop 766 of Olney and I think you’ll all agree that the troop leaders came up with a great use for their Cal Tort party: they used the party to reward the girls and their families for their efforts in collecting educational toys for a local charity called Family Services. The girls collected a ton of toys and we’re absolutely thrilled that we could be part of the reward.

So congratulations girls—you’re generous and adorable! Plus, you make very, very good cookies. Who doesn’t like a Thin Mint? (That’s a rhetorical question.)

Girl Scout Troop 766 and one very cute little boy

SPEAKING OF REWARDS…

If you call the Cal Tort catering hotline and place a catering order for $300 or more between now and the end of the year, we’ll give you a $25 Amex gift card.* To place your order just call 1-855-CALTORT (1-855-225-8678) and you’ll be on your way to great food and a $25 Amex gift card. Click here for our festive catering options.

*While supplies last. So hurry and drum up a party.

AND FINALLY…

All of us at California Tortilla wish you Happy Holidays!

FREE TACO TIME

That’s right—on November 7th, Cal Tort is putting a free taco on your Burrito Elito card. All you have to do is present your REGISTERED Burrito Elito card to the spunky cashier anytime between November 7th and November 14th and he or she will give you a free taco. That’s all you have to do. Tell me that’s not exciting! (Actually, don’t tell me. That would crush me; I’m very sensitive.)

FREE CHILI TIME

In an effort to give you yet more free food, on Wednesday, November 16th, when you make a purchase California Tortilla will give you a free 4 oz. sample of the best chili you’ve ever had AND a coupon for a free 8oz. chili on your next visit. That’s 2 free chilis! (Because you don’t know how to count.) I LOVE our chili. It’s absolutely fabulous in every way. So come on by on the 16th and try the chili that you had no idea we served. It’s SO good. And don’t even get me started on our Nachos with Chili…

DELICIOUS GYRO BURRITO TIME

Gyro Burrito: Mexican rice, the tastiest gyro meat, tzatziki sauce (cucumber yogurt sauce), feta cheese, chopped pepperoncini peppers, salsa and romaine all rolled in a warm flour tortilla or served in a bowl. It’s here for a limited time, so hurry in!

FREE GIFT CARD TIME

If you call the Cal Tort catering hotline and place a catering order for $300 or more (preferably more) between now and the end of the year, we’ll give you a $25 Amex gift card.* Isn’t that just peachy? To place your order just call 1-855-CALTORT (1-855-225-8678) and you’ll be on your way to great food and a great little reward for yourself!

*While supplies last. So hurry and drum up a party.

GIVING THANKS TIME. Kind of.

Usually this time of year I write a list of things we’re thankful for, but after reading past issues of Taco Talk (a wonderful sleeping aid), I’ve decided that I’m just thankful we’re still in business. Just look at some of the wacky stuff we used to do:

• We used to ask other restaurants to provide recipes for our weekly burrito specials. I seriously used to go to every restaurant in town and ask them if they’d give us a sauce for our special that week. I was always surprised when someone said no. Don’t you think I should have been surprised when someone said yes? And seriously, how lazy were we?
• We used to have customers sign up to be “Super Chip Boy.” Super Chip Boy would run around the restaurant on Friday nights handing out chips while wearing tights and a cape that had a big “S” on it. Tell me that doesn’t sound manic.
• We used to put free notices in the “I Saw You” section of our local paper that said, “I saw you at California Tortilla eating a delicious Blackened Chicken Caesar Burrito. I must meet you.” Apparently not only were we lazy, we were also cheap. And liars. You’d think someone at the paper would have become suspicious when the lovesick writer could tell by looking at a burrito what kind it was, wouldn’t you?
• We used to give out toothbrushes that said, “Everyone’s a winner when you brush after a burrito.” (I’m not sure why—were we receiving complaints?)
• We used to have theme months. According to Taco Talk, in October 1996 every time someone ordered the burrito special we’d play Copacabana on a tape player at the register. Barry Manilow over and over and over again. That had to be fun for the whole family.

So thank you from the bottom of our hearts for sticking with us. You’re nothing if not troopers! (And honestly, I pretend to be horrified by these things, but we’re actually thinking of doing every one of them again. Isn’t that scary?)

On that note, we all hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Want the daily California Tortilla Scoop?

Follow us on Twitter and be our Fan on Facebook

California Tortilla has declared Oct. 26 as “Occupy Caltort Day.” California Tortilla will donate 1 percent of gross sales on Oct. 26 to local food banks. In addition, all customers who support the “Occupy Caltort” movement will get free chips and queso with any purchase.

Customers can receive free chips and queso on Oct. 26 by ordering any item on the menu and:

• Saying “Occupy Cal Tort” to the cashier.
• Printing and bringing the “Occupy Cal Tort” sign from our Facebook page and showing the cashier.
• Creating their own “Occupy Cal Tort” sign and showing it when they place an order.

In addition to the in-store promotion, customers can participate online. For each original “Occupy Caltort” sign uploaded to California Tortilla’s Facebook page, the company will donate $1 to local food banks.

To read the press release, please click here.