San Diego — Mike’s Red Tacos, the celebrated San Diego-born beef Birria brand, is fueling rapid national growth with the launch of a dynamic franchising initiative.
An accomplished team of restaurant industry leaders is spurring expansion through a strategic investment in the brand. Together with the original Mike’s Red Tacos founder, they have created remarkable momentum for the brand, securing development agreements with experienced franchisees from Dave’s Hot Chicken, Jersey Mike’s, Blaze Pizza, Dunkin’, Little Caesars, Carl’s Jr, Wetzel’s Pretzels, etc. that total more than 200 planned locations.
Leading the concept into the growth phase is newly named company president Vincent Montanelli, a longtime restaurant industry executive. He most recently was at the helm of Wetzel’s Pretzels, where he served in various leadership roles for nearly 20 years. Bill Phelps and Andrew Feghali are backing the concept as an early-stage investors and advisors. Phelps led Dave’s Hot Chicken’s explosive growth as CEO, following his role as co-founder and longtime leader of Wetzel’s Pretzels.
The 200-plus locations now in the brand’s development pipeline come from multi-unit deals in markets including California, Michigan, Minnesota, New England, Nevada, Texas, Virginia, Arizona, Indiana and Illinois. Construction will begin in the coming months on the initial set of franchise restaurants, with the first to open by year-end 2026.
Mike’s Red Tacos is investing in a new Pasadena, Calif., corporate-run location, set to open this spring, which will serve as a prototype for stores in the development pipeline, as well as its brand training center. Likewise, company founder and namesake, Mike Touma, who serves as a company leader, is opening his third location this March in San Diego.
“There is tremendous energy enveloping the brand right now, and we’re embracing it to provide a restaurant franchise investment unlike anything else,” says Kayla Edidin, vice president of franchise development. “We are extremely excited about growing the brand nationally with highly qualified multi-unit franchisees that will champion The Birria Experience at Mike’s Red Tacos.”
The brand, first popularized in 2021 as a thriving food truck, is best known for its craveable Birria, signature consome dip and bold visual restaurant identity. As a result of two high-performing restaurants open within the past 4 years, Mike’s Red Tacos now has a robust growth map planned out. The strategy initially will focus on top tier U.S. markets including Southern California, Seattle, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Austin, Dallas, Chicago, Miami and Boston.
The brand has strong AUVs, a small-footprint model and a leadership team committed to preserving quality while enabling scalable growth. For more information, visit www.mikesredtacos.com.
SOURCE: Mike’s Red Tacos