Cafe Rio Mexican Grill, home of the original Sweet Pork Barbacoa, announced the opening of 15 new locations in 2022. New locations will begin to open starting in late March and continue throughout the year across five states including Idaho, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, and Utah. Utah is where the first Cafe Rio Mexican Grill opened in 1997. Since then, the fast casual restaurant has grown to 144 locations in 11 states, with fan requests coming in all the time for restaurants to open across the country.

“We love bringing our fresh, scratch-made Mexican meals to more and more fans,” says Steve Vaughan, CEO of Cafe Rio Mexican Grill. “For 2022, we’re focusing on growing within our existing footprint, making it more convenient for our fans to enjoy their Cafe Rio favorites. In future years, we look forward to expanding into new markets and satisfying the cravings of our fans that have moved to other parts of the country, as well as earning new fans that may have never had the opportunity to experience our amazing food.”

The first new 2022 Cafe Rio Mexican Grill will open in Meridian, Idaho this coming Friday, March 25. Over the weekend, March 25 – 26, Cafe Rio will celebrate the store opening with exciting games including Plinko and corn hole, where guests can participate to win a variety of prizes, and as many as 100 winners will receive a free meal! Plus, Cafe Rio will offer their chips and fresh salsa appetizer for only $1.99. 

“It’s a special event when a Cafe Rio opens, for both employees and fans,” continues Vaughan. “Our team is passionate about our food, and we hope our guests can feel the hard work and love we put into each restaurant opening.”

Cafe Rio Mexican Grill is known for their award-winning, chef-inspired Mexican recipes and the way guests can customize their meals in a made-to-order format. The popularity of Cafe Rio can be seen in their My Rio Rewards loyalty program, which has more than 600,000 active users.