How Circle K’s Discos Spread El Paso’s Food Culture To NM, AZ, CO, NV

Circle K inadvertently spreads our borderland's food culture across state lines thanks to its Disco (Disc Skillet) sales.

Thanks to Circle K's innovative push to sell Discos (Disc Skillets), the El Paso / Juarez food culture has now spread across several states, including New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado.

About three years ago, Victor Salas, Director of Operations for West Texas and Southern New Mexico for Circle K, was looking for alternative ways to bring in extra revenue for the El Paso market while offering new products to customers. Salas set his eyes on Discos, typically found at flea markets in town or across the border, and in just a few short months, the cooking skillets had sold out for the season.

Circle K was so successful when they began to sell Discos in El Paso that other Circle K convenience stores across the country soon began to sell them as well.

After hearing the news, colleagues from other markets began asking about these "Discos" and wanted in on the action. Soon after, Circle K regional directors started to place orders to stock their stores in Albuquerque, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, California, and Texas. In fact, the product has been so successful that other markets such as Florida are looking to stock them too.

It's no secret that El Paso is home to some of the best Mexican cuisine around, including the traditional Mexican meat dish Discada.

Discada is a dish prepared with various meats such as beef, bacon, ham, hot dogs, and Mexican chorizo. Discada is cooked inside the Discos, a type of skillet similar to a wok but made out of thicker metal with a base stand and burner.

The Discos at Circle K measure about 24 inches in diameter and include a double-decker feature perfect for keeping tortillas warm on the sides while the meat stays warm in the center.

The Discos were initially only offered at Circle K's in town throughout the Spring/Summer season, but since the pandemic, they have opted to make the product available year-round.

And this, my friend, is how Circle K took an old-school cooking skillet and inadvertently spread our Borderland’s food culture across state lines.

It seems pretty fitting that El Paso's food culture would be one of the driving forces behind the company's sales growth. After all, Circle K was initially born here in El Paso before being sold to an international company, but we're going to save that story for another day.

Until then, if you're planning to throw down with a Discada this summer, and don't have a Disco, remember you can now find them at your local neighborhood Circle K.