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By Lisa  Jennings

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Baja Fresh's new corporate prototype in Irvine, Calif.

CYPRESS, Calif. (July  15, 2009) Baja Fresh Mexican Grill is testing a new prototype in Irvine, Calif., that features a more upscale design and will be the first corporate location to offer beer and agave wine margaritas. The new unit is part of the 300-unit chain’s plan to build dinner sales.

Click here to view a slide show of Baja Fresh's new look.

The new prototype menu also includes dishes with bolder flavors, including new “Baja Kogi” Korean barbecue tacos — in the style of the popular Kogi BBQ taco truck in Los Angeles that has made headlines across the country.

Chuck Rink, president of Baja Fresh and sister brand La Salsa, said the prototype is designed to enhance the brand, in particular building dinner business, which he said has been “underutilized.”

Dinner typically accounts for about 30 percent of sales at Baja Fresh, Rink said, but the company hopes to build the evening daypart to about 40 percent of sales.

The corporate prototype opened in November with the new look that incorporates the use of natural materials such as wood and stone, rather than the traditional black-and-white ceramic tile and laminates of earlier locations.

“The colors are meant to be warmer and a little more inviting for an in-store experience, especially at dinner,” Rink said.

The prototype also has a “guest choice” ordering process, similar to Chipotle Mexican Grill, in which customers select their grilled protein and other fillings for their burrito or tacos. It was an option Baja Fresh customers always had, but Rink said many were not aware they could customize.

By Lisa  Jennings

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Dine-in guests at the new prototype also eat off china-like melamine plates with real silverware, rather than disposables used at most other units. Servers deliver food to tables, rather than asking guests to pick up their meals at the counter.

The salsa bar includes seven varieties, some spicier than what is typically available at other Baja Fresh locations, as well as pickled carrots, which are commonly served at restaurants in Mexico.

Baja Fresh officials said the beer-and-wine permit process for the Irvine location is expected to be completed next month. The addition of beer and wine will bring the chain more in line with sister brand La Salsa, which has several locations with a full bar and others with beer-and-wine permits allowing the sale of agave wine margaritas. One Baja Fresh franchisee in Huntington Beach, Calif., also has a beer-and-wine permit, Rink said.

The new design will apply to all new Baja Fresh units going forward, he added, but other aspects are still in the test phase.

Some menu items from the new prototype will be rolled out, however, such as the tomatillo salsa, a new marinade for shrimp and fish, and a new version of guacamole.

Rink said the Baja Kogi taco is not meant to refer to the Kogi truck version, which has developed a cult following in Los Angeles, but the combination of grilled beef or chicken with a kimchee slaw is a response to evolving consumer tastes.

“Kogi is the word for meat in Korean,” he said. “Baja Fresh since its inception has always had a more contemporary approach, meaning it wasn’t an authentically Mexican brand. We’re testing the fusion of flavors.”

Rink noted that the Korean tacos are “getting a much more positive reaction and guest participation than I ever anticipated.”

Natasha Phan, director of business development for the Kogi BBQ truck in Los Angeles, said she wasn’t aware of Baja Fresh’s test of a Korean taco until recently. She declined to comment on any potential trademark concerns.

“Our only comment is that we’re focusing on building and strengthening our core business,” she said.

Contact Lisa Jennings at ljenning@nrn.com.