Taco John's — Restaurant in Marshalltown

I stopped in Tuesday 11/28 and had one of the worst customer service experiences I have ever had.

Plastered all over the building there is a deal running that if you purchase a meat and potato burrito, super burrito, or taco bravo you get the second one for a dollar. So I ordered the meat and potato burrito (chicken) and a super burrito and clarified at the speaker that I would get the second item for a dollar.

After getting up to the window I noticed that the total seemed off so I clarified with the cashier that I was getting the second item for a dollar. She replied, "I think so." She then proceeded to run my card. After asking for the receipt I saw that I wasnt charged the dollar for the second item so I brought it to her attention.

After she talked to the manager for a bit (who didnt even talk to us directly or even attempt to correct the situation), the cashier opened the window and told me that they couldnt do the second item for a dollar because the meat and potato burrito was chicken. Which after looking at the sign, it doesnt say that anywhere on there. At some point, I just ended up eating the extra cost and moved forward in line. After going through all that, I got home just to find that my order wasn't correct and that they didnt put the correct type of meat on the meat and potato burrito.

I have worked in customer service a good portion of my life, and to see a manager not try to correct the situation or address it themselves is absolutely unacceptable. I am a frequent customer here, but this will be my last time being a paying customer at this...

12/20/21...I recently moved back into the area. I always remember Taco John's as welcoming with friendly staff. I actually also remember being able to get fries instead of oles...and they were excellent fries by the way. I have been to Taco John's a few times since getting back and it's been a little disappointing.

I'm not sure when the ownership changed but the level of service has declined. There was always someone welcoming you to the restaurant and ready to take your order. Now you walk in and may stand for 2 or 3 minutes before even being acknowledged. No hellos, no welcomes, and no thank yous. The person who was at the counter my last stop, I believe, may have been incapable of even a smile and probably not the best person to interact with customers.

Lastly, the fries are gone.

1/09/22...So, I thought I'd give Taco John's another shot tonight. Never again. What used to be a "go to" for food in town really needs to be closed permanently OR placed under new management with an all new staff. I went with my sister and we literally stood at the counter and watched 6 employees ignore us. Sure two were working on orders for drive-thru but the other 4? Doing nothing. My sister asked if we were ever going to be waited on which went ignored. After waiting for 4 minutes, unacknowledged further, we walked out. I would encourage everyone to avoid this place. As I mentioned before, the quality of food and clearly the level of service has tanked under the current ownership/management. ...

I've changed my five-star rating to two stars. It seems the Taco John's we all knew and loved for so many years is gone. The long time owners sold the business to a corporate entity, and the food and service have gone downhill.

Several times when we went through the drive-thru with several cars ahead of us it was ridiculously slow, taking more than 10 minutes to reach the window - something previously unheard of for this Taco John's. The last time I went through the drive-thru there was only one car ahead of me and still I sat for several minutes.

One of my favorite foods at Taco John's has always been the chicken taco salad. It was always the same in all the years we went there. Not now. When I ordered a salad under the new company, the volume of tomatoes and chicken was noticeably less, replaced it seems by more iceberg lettuce.

We used to eat at Taco John's at least once if not twice a week. Now we haven't been there for weeks, and we don't plan to go back any time soon. At some point we'll probably give it another try to see if things have improved.

I've talked with a number of people who have had similar experiences, and like us, are sorely disappointed. Taco John's as we knew you, RIP. Previous review: In my opinion, the Marshalltown Taco John's has always been a class act. The food is always fresh and the drive-thru is very efficient, even with a long line of cars on Taco Tuesdays. And they keep adding to the menu. The breakfast...