California Tortilla, a fast-casual Mexican-inspired restaurant franchise serving fresh, made-to-order dishes, is expanding the brand outside its core market for the first time.
Currently operating 50 locations across D.C., Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, California Tortilla is offering franchise opportunities for multi-unit expansion nationwide. Looking to grow from the Mid-Atlantic region outwards, the brand’s top markets for growth include North Carolina, New York, New Jersey, Florida and Ohio. Additionally, California Tortilla is set to debut in Connecticut, while adding to the brand’s established presence in Maryland and Virginia.
Serving made-to-order burritos, bowls, street tacos, quesadillas and salads, California Tortilla is dedicated to serving farm-fresh, never frozen ingredients and everything is hand prepared in small batches daily in their scratch cook kitchens. The innovative menu, grounded in a foundation of Mexican cuisine, features 25 unique chef-created recipes, including the Korean BBQ Burrito, Blackened Fish Tacos and California Sunset Bowl. Every California Tortilla features a Wall-of-Flame, a towering display of 75 distinct hot sauces, ranging from mild to tongue-melting, allowing guests to further customize the flavor and heat level of their meal.
“Other Mexican restaurants in the fast-casual space offer limited menu options. Consumers want more; they want fresh, they want quality and they want imagination and flavor,” says Keith Goldman, Chief Operating Officer at California Tortilla. “So we created an expansive menu that takes the basics of Mexican cuisine and blend them with bold flavors to create unique crave-inducing menu options.”
With consumers currently spending more than $8.9 billion in Mexican fast-casual restaurants each year, California Tortilla is targeting growth in large metropolitan areas and suburban locations in strip malls. The brand also has several locations in non-traditional venues such as airports, college campuses and mall food courts and is looking for these development opportunities as well. California Tortilla expects to open 10 new units over the next year.
“Changes in consumer demand have encouraged the recent dynamic growth of the fast-casual industry. Fast-casual restaurants deliver on all the things customers want: fresh, delicious food, chef-created menus and farm-fresh ingredients,” says Jim Tisack, Vice President of Franchise Sales at California Tortilla. “California Tortilla delivers on all these elements and more, making this an extremely exciting time for us to introduce the brand to new markets. We are confident our fun brand and unique menu will be receptive to guests across the country.”
The total initial investment to open a California Tortilla ranges from $412,700-$708,800. California Tortilla seeks franchise partners in new markets and markets where California Tortilla is already present for multi- and single- unit agreements
