Rubio’s Coastal Grill has sold nearly 300 million fish tacos since 1983, according to co-founder Ralph Rubio. The Carlsbad-based chain is apt to build on that number on Wednesday, Jan. 25, when the chain marks its 40th anniversary.
Rubio’s Coastal Grill has a new take on its Original Fish Taco, upper left, called the Baja Grilled Fish Taco. Ralph Rubio is co-founder of Rubio’s Coastal Grill. Rubio, who grew up in Carson, discovered fish tacos in the 1970s as a student studying psychology at San Diego State University. He and some classmates made the five- to six-hour trek to San Felipe on the Sea of Cortez for spring break. It was a quiet fishing village then, he said in a phone interview.
With Ray’s backing, Ralph opened his first restaurant on San Diego’s Mission Bay. Most of the staff were family members working for sweat equity.