Mexican food is becoming increasingly popular in the UK, with authentic cuisine being identified as a top food trend to watch in 2024. Speciality Food magazine attributes this trend to the adaptability of food choices, broad appeal to various tastes and diets, and the demand for healthy yet tasty recipes. This has led to a rise in consumers either cooking at home, ordering in, or dining out on Mexican food.
Tortilla Mexican Grill, a fast-casual dining brand based in the UK, recently announced plans to focus on franchising to fuel growth both domestically and internationally. The company’s Chief Executive unveiled their strategic vision ‘Tortilla’s Vital Five’, which includes improving UK profitability, investing in brand growth, team and tech, franchising expansion, and international development. Founded by Californians Brandon and Jen Stephens in 2007, Tortilla now has over 80 UK locations and ten sites in Dubai and Saudi Arabia through a franchise partnership.
A key part of Tortilla’s growth strategy has been their partnership with SSP, a global food and beverage operator in travel and transport hubs. With already five locations in transport hubs in the UK, Tortilla plans to open four more in 2024. Despite challenges in the restaurant industry such as increased supply costs, labor shortages, and rising property and energy costs, Tortilla is adopting a multi-channel approach to growth by expanding traditional restaurants, opening franchise locations in transport hubs and universities, developing cloud kitchens, and building strategic partnerships with sites like amusement parks, supermarkets, and hotels.
The cloud kitchen concept, where a location offers delivery or pick up through online orders and third-party apps without a dine-in option, has become popular. Tortilla plans to expand this model to reach new customers and locations with relatively low-risk investments. CEO Naylor emphasized the importance of franchising in accelerating growth, targeting existing and new partnerships to evolve the mix of new openings and focusing more on franchising while strategically opening own stores in high awareness locations.
Despite a slight below-expectation full-year result in 2023 due to weak consumer demand in the eating-out market, Tortilla Mexican Grill remains optimistic about the future. With a franchise-focused growth strategy aimed at increasing brand awareness and expanding into new markets, Tortilla hopes to secure a successful recipe for success in the competitive restaurant industry.
