In late 2014, California Tortilla will make its arrival in State College, Pennsylvania, opening its doors on the busy College Avenue strip. The Washington, D.C.-based fast-casual concept will be available for the first time to Penn State, offering its reimagined Mexican fare to hungry students, faculty, and residents alike.   

Owners Ashook, Jay, and Nirav Patel bring extensive food and beverage industry experience to their latest venture, and have partnered successfully on several franchises in the State College area. 

“First and foremost, we love the food—it’s made fresh in small batches and you can really taste the difference between California Tortilla and our competitors,” says Ashook. “It’s a highly original concept that offers a variety of options, whether it’s adventurous flavors like Korean BBQ or the vegetarian No-Meato Burrito, and that’s something that holds a lot of appeal for Millennials. And given that many of our own customers will come from the student population, that’s especially important to us.”

But California Tortilla caters to customers of all ages, and is equally welcoming to State College’s year-round residents and families. Customers with cars will be particularly pleased to learn that California Tortilla is one of the only restaurants on College Avenue with reserved parking spaces in a private lot.

The restaurant seats 60 inside, with limited outdoor seating available seasonally.

The California Tortilla in State College will celebrate the grand opening in January 2015, when classes are back in session, by serving free burritos and a beverage for both lunch and dinner service. It’ll also be offering free burritos for a whole year to the first 20 customers in line that morning.