In 10 years, 80-unit Salsarita’s Fresh Cantina has worked hard to compete with the giants in the $4 billion Mexican fast casual segment. There’s 1,000-unit Chipotle Mexican Grill, a publicly traded firm; 500-unit Qdoba Mexican Grill, owned by Jack in the Box Inc., and 400-unit Moe’s Southwest Grill, whose parent company is Focus Brands.

Bruce Willette, majority shareholder and chair of Charlotte, N.C.-based Salsarita’s, hopes to level the financial playing field soon. In early June, Willette announced that Salsarita’s is exploring financing options, including a possible sale.
 
A handful of unsolicited offers sparked the formal announcement, as did a hard look at the financial realities of fast-casual Mexican, Willette said.
“Four of our larger competitors have substantial resources to support franchisees and staff,” he said. “We’ve done a bang-up job, but at some point in time you have to put on weight to fight in a heavier weight class.”

Continue reading . . .

RestaurantNews.com provides restaurant press release distribution.
For more information: http://www.RestaurantNews.com/press-release/



Subscribe to our RSS feed!