Barrio Burrito Bar restaurants continue remarkable U.S. growth

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BurritoBar USA Inc., a leading fast-casual Mexican food franchise, has awarded the Master Franchise rights for the state of South Carolina to Krinesh Patel, Rakesh Patel and Jatin Patel with plans to open 54 new franchised Barrio Burrito Bar restaurants over the next two decades.

With the signing of this most recent Master Franchise Agreement, the brand has surpassed 1,592 contractually committed franchise units throughout the United States, further accelerating the brand’s aggressive growth plans in the U.S. market, said the company.

Barrio Burrito Bar said it prides itself on serving fresh Tex Mex cuisine using high-quality ingredient; daily-prepared meats; homemade salsas; and unique menu offerings such as Bang-Bang Shrimp, Crunchy Chicken, and “Extreme Fries,” providing craveable meal options that appeals to a wide consumer base.

barBURRITO, its Canadian affiliate, opened its first restaurant in downtown Toronto in 2005 and has grown to over 375 locations from coast to coast, establishing itself as dominant market leader and Canada’s largest and fastest-growing burrito franchise.

Building on its success in Canada, the concept entered the U.S. market in 2020 under the name BURRITOBAR. In 2024, it rebranded to Barrio Burrito Bar. As part of the brand evolution, key brand attributes were created including a new name; a contemporary logo; elevated design elements; and refined esthetics.  Collectively, these revitalized characteristics further elevates the brand positioning within the category, it said.

Jeff Young
Jeff Young

“The growth trajectory of Barrio Burrito Bar in the United States has been extraordinary and our compelling and lucrative Master Franchise program has been a driving force in the success in the company’s ongoing International expansion strategy,” said Jeff Young, Chief Development Officer. 

“This exceptional business model offers our Master Franchise partners the opportunity to develop and manage a territory who are remunerated with a predictable and recurring revenue stream through shared franchise fees and ongoing royalties.

“Our accelerated franchise development activity continues to yield remarkable results, with Master Franchise agreements now signed in Michigan, Florida, Virginia, Maryland, Tennessee, Iowa, Nebraska, North Texas, South Illinois, North Illinois, Ohio, New Jersey, West Virginia, Louisiana, Georgia, Long Island and Westchester County in New York State, Kentucky, Indiana, North Carolina, Western New York State, Pennsylvania; Alabama and now South Carolina.  Nearing 1,600 contractually committed franchise units in the US is an incredible feat and it’s just the beginning of what we can accomplish together with our incredible Franchise Partners.”

Established in 2005 in Toronto, Canada, barBURRITO Fresh Mexican Grill offers fresh, made-to-order Tex-Mex in a quick-service format. Since its inception, barBURRITO has grown to become Canada’s largest and fastest-growing Mexican food franchise, with over 375 locations nationwide. In 2020, the company expanded into the U.S. under the brand BURRITOBAR, later rebranding to Barrio Burrito Bar. Since then, it has secured single-unit Franchise Agreements, Area Development Franchise Agreements, and Master Franchise Agreements, with commitments to open hundreds of locations across the country.

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Mario Toneguzzi
Mario Toneguzzi
Mario Toneguzzi, based in Calgary, has more than 40 years experience as a daily newspaper writer, columnist, and editor. He worked for 35 years at the Calgary Herald covering sports, crime, politics, health, faith, city and breaking news, and business. He is the Co-Editor-in-Chief with Retail Insider in addition to working as a freelance writer and consultant in communications and media relations/training. Mario was named as a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert in 2024.

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