DALLAS, TX -- Velvet Taco introduces the newest installment of the brand’s Weekly Taco Feature (WTF), the Chat GPTaco. This is among the first AI-generated menu items for a fast casual restaurant, sparking innovation and unique flavor combinations using ChatGPT and Chef Venecia Willis’ creative input. Velvet Taco first brought their diverse, globally inspired tacos to the city of Dallas in 2011. Since then, the brand has continued to break taco barriers with their scratch made tacos and added over 40 locations across the U.S. with plans to continue growing through the foreseeable future.

Using the latest artificial intelligence generator, ChatGPT and GPT-4, Velvet Taco’s Director of Culinary, Chef Venecia Willis, has created the ultimate taco: the Chat GPTaco. Chef Willis sought support and inspiration from ChatGPT’s technologically informed intelligence in creating unique ingredient pairings and creative flavor combinations. Ultimately, using assistance from ChatGPT, Chef Willis produced the taco of the future, engineered with Velvet Taco’s proprietary taco formula and ingredient list in mind.

The winning taco creation, the Chat GPTaco, features flank steak, blackened shrimp, red chile aioli, chimichurri, crispy potatoes, grilled onion, queso fresco, jalapeno and cilantro on a corn tortilla ($6.25). This WTF is available July 12–25, 2023 at all Velvet Taco locations, excluding Food Hall and college locations (Norman, College Station, and Lubbock).

Says Director of Culinary Chef Venecia Willis, “Using the software from ChatGPT for a recipe piqued my interest, and I was pleasantly surprised with the combinations it created. I believe chefs can embrace the technology to enhance our menu ideation process and use it as a tool to support the creative elements that go into producing and executing a cohesive menu item.”

Velvet Taco’s Chat GPTaco will be displayed on billboards across Dallas as well as included on air on Dallas radio stations such as The Ticket.

“Velvet Taco is all about breaking barriers and delivering the unexpected. We want our whole hometown to know about the Chat GPTaco and make sure they have a chance to visit one of our restaurants and give it a try. The Chat GPTaco represents the marriage of food and tech and creativity in a way I’ve not seen before in the restaurant space. We’re really excited,” says CEO and Taco Maker Clay Dover.

A press kit is available here. Photos are available here.

About Velvet Taco

Founded in 2011, the Dallas, Texas-based restaurant brand set out to elevate the taco through globally inspired recipes and the freshest ingredients. The acclaimed restaurant provides a broad sampling of international tastes and inventive combinations, delivering flavors that are as memorable as they are delicious. In addition to dozens of local and national accolades, in 2016, Velvet Taco was awarded Nation’s Restaurant News “Hot Concept” and in 2020 they were named Nation’s Restaurant News MenuMasters Award winner in the category of Best Limited Time Offer for their Weekly Taco Feature. Velvet Taco has over 40 locations in Texas, North Carolina, Georgia, Illinois, Tennessee, and Oklahoma. For more information, including a complete menu, visit velvettaco.com and follow the brand on Facebook and Instagram @VelvetTaco.

Media Contact

Sara Schiffer
Proof PR
sara@proofpr.net
773-420-7920