California-based sandwich franchise Togo’s Eateries will open its first location in Las Vegas, and Makea Macaluso is thrilled to be the woman to do it. Macaluso, who is a California native herself, will open her first location this September at 6435 S. Rainbow Suite 103 with plans to open an additional two units over the next several years.
Macaluso, who has built her career primarily working in real estate investment, said her decision to open her own Togo’s in Vegas was heavily influenced by nostalgic feelings toward the brand. Her journey to Togo’s began almost two decades ago.
“When I was a teenager, my first job was working at a KFC in Pittsburg, CA which was across the street from Togo’s,” Macaluso says. “I fell in love with the sandwiches and that’s where I met my husband, and now business partner, 18 years ago.”
Macaluso knew from an early age she wanted to create a business empire. It was her grandmother, who was also an entrepreneur, who encouraged her to believe that she could conquer any challenge she took on. Now, she’s ready to take on this new adventure. In fact, Macaluso signed on to open two additional Togo’s locations in Las Vegas.
“I’ve worked in a variety of industries throughout my career, but the one thing they’ve all had in common is that they were service-based. My husband and I have run successful junk removal and home cleaning businesses in addition to investing in apartment complexes in the local community,” Macaluso says. “I truly enjoy providing a product that puts a smile on a customer’s face and am thrilled to bring the first Togo’s to Las Vegas this September.”
As a lifelong fan of Togo’s, Macaluso jumped at the opportunity when she learned the brand was looking to expand into her community. She connected with existing franchisees to learn more about their experience with the brand throughout the pandemic and soon found that the brand provided more than great recipes to franchise owners.
“I’m extremely passionate about helping others and when I learned that Togo’s adapted throughout the pandemic to help franchisees learn more about the loans they were eligible for and making sure they had the tools to thrive really impressed me,” Macaluso says. “Once I learned Togo’s encompassed core values that were aligned with mine, it was a no brainer to pursue the opportunity.”
Makea will open Las Vegas’ first Togo’s this September and hopes to open her second location within a year. She’s thrilled to bring Togo’s, the brand she loves and found love at, to her local community, but she’s not the only one excited. John Dyer, Director of Franchise Sales and Real Estate for the brand, says Macaluso’s the ideal partner to team up with.
“We’re excited to be bringing our first location to the state of Nevada with Makea,” Dyer says. “We’re thrilled to bring the brand to a new market. It’s always exciting to be able to introduce our food to a new group of consumers and bring Togo’s to a market with so many folks who grew up loyal fans of the brand in California who have been pleading for us to come to Las Vegas!”
