Living together, but not married

Baja-style Mexican food meets familiar seafaring cuisine at a new co-branded concept featuring two Northwestern chains. Sixty-five-unit Taco del Mar, based in Seattle, and Skippers Seafood & Chowder, a 77-unit chain headquartered in Edmonds, Wash., opened their first joint restaurant in mid-August

"We feel like it's going to be a win for everybody," says Skippers Senior Director Scott Way, adding that he expects to see a "healthy increase" in sales. Because Taco del Mar does brisk lunch business and Skippers is strongest at dinner, the two concepts will complement each other, according to Way.

The 2,500-square-foot, freestanding restaurant seats 60 to 80 customers and includes a drive-thru. The décor borrows elements from both chains, and the menu includes Taco del Mar's signature "Mission-style" burritos and fish tacos as well as Skippers' grilled and fried fish fillets, shrimp and clams.

The two companies will examine the restaurant's performance and address any operational issues before deciding how to proceed with more co-branded units, Way says. "There is a tremendous amount of potential," he says. "This is a direction both companies would like to move in."