Danbury, CT – Salsa Fresca Mexican Grill, with locations in New York and Connecticut, announced that franchise development opportunities for the popular chain of fast casual Mexican restaurants are now available in the DMA’s Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Florida, with locations in New York available soon.
Launched in 2008 with an “open kitchen” concept, fresh ingredients and traditional flavors from Mexico, Salsa Fresca guests have consistently praised the extremely fresh dishes, as well as the transparency which allows guests to see exactly what is being prepared, and how. “There have been so many different factors in our success,” said Seth Hirschel, co-founder of Salsa Fresca Mexican Grill. “One of the biggest factors is the fact that we’re not using pre-frozen ingredients – it’s all fresh, every day. The response at all eight of our locations has been so overwhelming, and we’re seeing constant interest from patrons who want to enjoy our fresh foods in other locations, too. It’s time for the next step, and our franchise program will finally meet that incredible demand as we expand to a hundred stores over the next five years.”
Customers have been enthusiastic about the restaurants and eager to see expansion into their own markets. “Franchisees will be stepping into a business with a built-in demand,” said Lynette McKee, national director of franchising. “With best-in-class support, franchise owners can look forward to hands-on help from the very beginning, to build-out assistance, pre-opening training programs, and on-site support during launch and on an ongoing basis.”
The “fast casual” market represents a $47 billion segment of the restaurant industry experiencing rapid growth. Seven of the ten fastest-growing restaurant chains over the past five years being fast casual brands – and of those, Mexican food represents the largest share at 19 percent, compared with only 10 percent growth at traditional burger restaurants. Fast casual has consistently taken market share from quick service restaurants (QSR’s), moving from a nine percent share in 2007 to 18 percent in 2016, with a projected 22 percent share by 2021. This positive trend for fast casual restaurant growth is expected to continue long term.
“Entrepreneurs today are interested in a strong concept and a profitable business plan, but there’s more than that – today’s generation of entrepreneurs are also interested in sustainable concepts and ecologically conscious business models,” said Hirschel. “In addition to using eco-friendly building materials in new restaurant construction, we employ green utensils and packaging, energy-efficient HVAC systems and lighting, and recycle all of our cooking oil.”
The earth-friendly design of each location reflects a modern, industrial-chic look with gleaming stainless steel and glass for an easy showcase of the restaurant’s fresh ingredients. With everything made on site, customers enjoy watching as well as eating. Freezers are not a part of the design, intentionally, reinforcing the “always fresh” concept.
