LUBBOCK Texas Abuelo’s, the 38-unit casual-dining Mexican chain based here, said it was converting to a cooking oil with zero grams of trans fat.
The systemwide conversion, which follows extensive testing of oil options, has already begun in most Abuelo’s restaurants and is scheduled to be completed companywide by early August.
Abuelo’s will use the trans-fat-free oil for cooking its tortilla chips, taco shells, burritos, French fries, chicken strips and other items.
“We have been testing trans-fat-free oil in several stores and have been delighted by the outstanding guest response,” said Bob Lin, president of Food Concepts International, Abuelo’s parent company. “In tests on several core items, we found consumers readily accepted the items cooked in trans-fat-free oil, either not noticing any differences or, in some cases, noting improvement in these items.”
Abuelo’s has restaurants in 15 states.