How tamale delivery works from our Plano kitchen

People search for tamale delivery in Richardson and then call to ask where they can come sit down, so let me start with the thing that surprises them: there is no dining room. My commercial kitchen in Plano is a catering and delivery kitchen, and every tamal that leaves it goes out the door to your house, your office or your party, or into your hands at pickup.

The short answer: Every order from our Plano kitchen, from a half dozen for tonight to twenty dozen for a party, goes through our online store. You pick chicken in green salsa or pork in red salsa, a half dozen ($30) or a dozen ($60), delivery or pickup, and today or a date ahead, and you pay online. Delivery fees are shown at checkout.

One store keeps it simple, but a dozen for dinner and a hundred and fifty tamales for a quinceañera still need different amounts of planning. Here is how each one works from the moment you decide you want tamales to the moment the lid comes off.

Tamale delivery in Richardson: one way to order

There is no lane to choose any more: a half dozen for dinner and twenty dozen for a quinceañera are ordered the same way, and you pay online either way. The how to order page walks through each step.

Small orders: a half dozen or a dozen for tonight

For dinner tonight, open our online store, pick pork in red salsa or chicken in green, a half dozen or a dozen, choose delivery or pickup and today, and pay. Orders run during kitchen hours, which are Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 9 AM to 2 PM. The kitchen is closed Sunday, Monday and Thursday, so if you want tamales on a Sunday, order Saturday and reheat; they take it well.

A few things people ask about the small-order lane:

• Portions. Our tamales are BIG: two is an honest meal for one hungry person. A half dozen feeds two or three, and a dozen feeds a family dinner with leftovers.
• Reheating. A tamal that cools on the way reheats in a couple of minutes in a microwave wrapped in a damp paper towel, or ten minutes in a steamer. It will taste made this morning, because it was.
• Gluten. All my tamales are corn masa, which is gluten-free, though the kitchen is not a certified gluten-free facility.

Richardson is inside our everyday delivery area. For a wider look at what ordering tamales online in this part of Dallas looks like, including what to check before you pay, see my note on ordering tamales online in Dallas.

Group orders: the same store, more dozens

Everything bigger, from a twenty-person office lunch to a Christmas order for the whole family, goes through the same online store. This is the part I want to explain step by step, because it is where people worry most and where the fewest things actually go wrong.

1. Count and choose. Headcount, and whether it is a lunch, a dinner or one dish among several: two tamales per person with sides, three without, rounded up to whole dozens. If you know the pork and chicken split, set it; if not, half and half is safe. My guide to planning a catering order shows what to decide first.
2. Pick the day, and delivery or pickup. Today or a date ahead. Next day orders must be received and confirmed by us before noon the previous day. Only confirmed orders will be delivered as requested. The weeks before Thanksgiving and Christmas fill first, so the earlier the better for holidays.
3. Pay online. The prices are the menu prices, $30 a half dozen and $60 a dozen, and delivery fees are shown at checkout, so there is no surprise on the day.
4. The kitchen cooks it that morning. Fresh masa, meat and chiles, made from scratch the day you eat it. Nothing is made ahead and reheated.
5. Delivery or pickup. The order goes to the address you gave, or you collect it at our Plano kitchen; the pickup address and time come with the order confirmation.

The delivery timing guide explains how to plan around when people eat, so the food is not sitting out an hour early. Questions about a big order? Call or text (469) 888-8398.

What arrives at your door

An order from my kitchen is simple enough that a person who has never served food can put it out in five minutes: tamales in their husks, pork in red or chicken in green. Have tongs, plates, forks and napkins ready; tongs are the right tool for tamales. If you ordered both fillings, set them in separate pans with a small card for each, so nobody has to open a husk to find out.

Keep the tamales covered between waves of guests. The corn husk insulates each tamal, and covered tamales hold their heat for a long time. Uncover, serve, cover. That is the whole technique.

In the first ten minutes after the delivery, do three things: check the order against your confirmation, put the trays where people will line up with the salsas beside them, and set out plates, forks and napkins at the far end so the line flows. My note on what to do in the first ten minutes after catering arrives has a longer checklist, but those three cover most of it.

Where we deliver

Richardson is home, and the Richardson catering page covers the neighborhoods, offices and churches we reach most. From our Plano kitchen we deliver across Allen, McKinney, Fairview, Frisco, The Colony, Plano, Murphy, Carrollton, Addison, Richardson and Far North Dallas. Each city has its own page with local notes, and the service areas page links to them. If your address is outside those cities, pickup at our Plano kitchen is the way to get our tamales.

Being a delivery kitchen rather than a restaurant is a choice, not an accident. It means every ounce of the day goes into the food instead of tables and a dining room, and it is part of why more than 600 Google reviewers have given us 5.0 stars and keep using words like huge and packed with meat. The reviews page collects them.

Kitchen hours and when to order

The kitchen runs Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 9 AM to 2 PM, and is closed Sunday, Monday and Thursday. Delivery and pickup follow those hours. A Saturday evening party or a Sunday church lunch still works: order for Saturday, keep the tamales in the fridge in their husks, and reheat on the day. Next day orders must be received and confirmed by us before noon the previous day. Only confirmed orders will be delivered as requested. Questions? Call or text (469) 888-8398.

For timing, a few honest guidelines rather than hard rules:

• A half dozen or a dozen for today: the online store, any kitchen day, during kitchen hours.
• An office lunch or a birthday: a few days is comfortable; more for large groups.
• Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year: as early as you can. Those weeks fill first, every year, and I would rather say yes early than sorry late.

The FAQ page covers reheating, dietary questions and the usual delivery details, and the menu shows the half-dozen and dozen prices.

Ready to have tamales delivered in Richardson?

If it is dinner tonight, open the online store during kitchen hours and pick red or green. If it is a group, count the people, round up to whole dozens and order the same way, for delivery to your office, your backyard or your holiday table anywhere in Richardson and the northern suburbs, or for pickup at our Plano kitchen. You pay online, and delivery fees are shown at checkout. Order online.

Frequently asked questions

How does tamale delivery in Richardson work?

Every order goes through our online store. You choose chicken in green salsa or pork in red salsa, a half dozen ($30) or a dozen ($60), delivery or pickup, and today or a date ahead, then pay online; delivery fees are shown at checkout. Kitchen hours are Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 9 AM to 2 PM. Group orders work the same way, just with more dozens.

Can I pick up tamales at the Plano kitchen instead?

Yes. Choose pickup in the online store, and the address and pickup time come with your order confirmation. There is no dining room or walk-in counter, so pickup is only for orders placed in the store.

How much notice does a catering delivery need?

It depends on the size. An office lunch or a birthday order is comfortable with a few days, and larger orders deserve more. Next day orders must be received and confirmed by us before noon the previous day. Only confirmed orders will be delivered as requested. The weeks before Thanksgiving and Christmas fill first, so order holiday dozens as early as you can.

What does a catering delivery from Maggie’s include?

Our tamales, by the half dozen or the dozen: pork in red salsa, chicken in green tomatillo salsa, or both, made from scratch that morning. Plates, forks, tongs and any sides are yours to set out. Prices are $30 a half dozen and $60 a dozen, and the delivery fee is shown at checkout.

Do you deliver tamales outside Richardson?

Yes. From the Plano kitchen we deliver across Allen, McKinney, Fairview, Frisco, The Colony, Plano, Murphy, Carrollton, Addison, Richardson and Far North Dallas. Each city has its own page on the site, and the service areas page links to them. If your address is outside those cities, choose pickup at our Plano kitchen.

Can tamales be delivered on a Sunday in Richardson?

No. The kitchen is closed Sunday, Monday and Thursday, so for a Sunday lunch or dinner, order for Saturday delivery or pickup and reheat on the day, in a steamer or a microwave with a damp paper towel. Tamales hold beautifully overnight in the fridge in their husks.