Now and then, I'll hear a rumor that instantly grabs my attention. It's a specific rumor about a specific kind of fast food restaurant that began here in Texas.
The rumor: Freebirds World Burrito is coming to Waco.
This rumor surfaced recently when a friend said she heard Freebirds was coming to town and then another friend from a separate circle of friends remarked that he heard Freebirds had purchased land on which to build a store.
As far as I've been able to tell, these are only rumors. According to Freebirds' media representatives, Waco isn't on the openings list for this year and specifically, "No leases signed in Waco yet." That was the one-line reply that followed a phone conversation and an email request, brining to an end two weeks of digging for Freebirds information from the company.
I asked to interview someone within Freebirds and as of this writing have been granted no such interview. I want to ask if Waco is in any kind of future plans. If not, then why has Freebirds avoided Waco?
Once upon a time — the late 1990s and early 2000s — the only places where I ever ate Freebirds burritos were Austin and College Station. Since then, I've enjoyed Freebirds burritos in Houston, Fort Worth, Arlington and Lubbock. Furthermore, Freebirds has opened stores in nearby Killeen as well as Midland, San Marcos and Corpus Christi.
So why the Waco snub?
Whatever the reason, it seems that Freebirds is now more interested in taking its brand to California than cultivating its Waco audience.
And that's fine, I guess. Check out our Mexican food category and some recent reviews and you'll see that Waco has no shortage of tasty burrito options.
That's no rumor. It's verifiable.
