2023 MEXICAN MULTI-UNIT REPORT: Focused on the MAGIC NUMBER 100

ABOUT OUR DATA : The information that allows us to create the Top 50 Mexican Multi-Units list comes from several sources. It starts with data from restaurantdata.com, which compiles multi-unit information year around. In many cases, we further refine the data by visiting the multi-units’ websites, reviewing their press or investors’ material, and talking with company representatives. The numbers are not 100 percent accurate — chains open and close locations constantly — but we believe they are the most accurate available.

BY

ED AVIS

The world of muti-unit Mexican restaurants can be viewed in three rough categories: The really big chains with several hundred or even thousands of locations (with Taco Bell and Chipotle at the top); a middle group with 100 or so locations; and many more with fewer than 100 locations. There is a beauty to the 100-unit threshold — it’s symbolically meaningful and it might give a multi-unit operator the critical mass to get the best supplier prices and interest from franchisees.

That magic 100 group definitely has been the focus over the past year. Six multi-units on the el Restaurante Top 50 List have either just reached that number of units or announced plans to do so in the next few years.

Several multi-units recently reached 100 locations, Bubbakoo’s Burritos, Chuy’s and Torchy’s Tacos among them.

Bubbakoo’s — the chain known for customizable burritos — was founded in 2008 and reached the 100-unit milestone with a location in Orange, Connecticut that opened in January 2023.

“Words cannot express how thrilled we are to be opening our 100th location,” said Paul Altero, co-founder of Bubbakoo’s Burritos, in a press release. “This is a landmark achievement that every restaurant concept dreams of reaching, and it is incredibly exciting that we’ve reached this goal after just 15 years in business.”

When el Restaurante profiled Bubbakoo’s in 2019, the restaurant had just 32 locations, but the company was stepping on the gas with 31 more on the drawing board. Despite COVID, Bubbakoo’s eventually got those units — and more — built. And they’re not stopping at 100: They’ve already opened another location since the 100th, and several more are planned for 2023.

Chuy’s, a full-service Tex-Mex restaurant that is publicly