Mexican Food is our Passion!
We at El Taco™ are committed to ensuring that every customer enjoys a truly authentic experience while eating at El Taco™ restaurants. We have created a taqueria-inspired menu served in a welcoming, casual yet very relaxing setting inspired by Mexican culture and décor. The well-prepared food dishes, authentic Mexican atmosphere, wonderful food service and excellent dining out affordability have proven this business concept and created a first class franchise opportunity. El Taco™ restaurants are modeled along the concept of “Fast Casual”, which sets us apart from our competitors.
El Taco™ offers its customers an appealing menu of healthy, homemade Mexican dishes that are made daily with freshly-grown ingredients and without lard, saturated fats or other food preservatives such as MSG. Our menu is reasonably priced; has ample meal selections, and can be enjoyed as an eat-in experience, or as take-out. Most menu items are priced at $10 or under per meal.
All menu selections are very easy and simple to prepare, and the costs per meal production fall within the normal industry range of 25% to 33%, providing a good profit margin for our franchise-partners while the menu items remain very reasonably priced for our customers.
Our innovative highly efficient and streamlined kitchen, along with our comprehensive franchise-partner support means that our franchise-partners can quickly learn the El Taco™ style of restaurant business. We are also committed to eco-environmental practices and use “green” packaging and product supplies.
We are adopting a rapid but controlled growth strategy to ensure the quality and consistency of our program and provide a strong support base for our franchise-partners.
What we look for in a franchise-partner
We are looking for individuals who share our passion for Mexican food, who understand that the success of El Taco™ restaurants depends on delivering 100% customer satisfaction, who love working with people, and will actively work in and manage the business. Along with the basic financial requirements, you will need people skills and management capabilities. Restaurant experience is not essential, but any food service
experience you might have is a plus.
What you can expect as an El Taco™ franchise-partner
We are committed to making your business both personally and financially rewarding. We will be there to support and direct you with proven ways of bringing customers to your door. As a franchise-partner, you will receive:
- The use of the El Taco™ trademarks and reputation
- Guidance in the selection of a location for your El Taco™ restaurant
- Assistance with lease negotiation and the design and layout of your restaurant
- A list of approved equipment, furniture, furnishings, signs, products, and supplies
- A complete set of manuals, which includes Pre-opening Manual, Operations and Procedures Manual, checklists, agreements, and sales and administrative forms.
- Recipes and individual spice packages designed for each menu item.
- A Business Plan Template and Loan Application Guide if you need to seek funds from a lender.
- A comprehensive initial training program. Before your opening, we will hold an Orientation Day in your restaurant for your staff, help you place an order for your opening inventory, and provide assistance for a period immediately preceding or following the opening of your restaurant Assistance in the development and implementation of grand opening advertising and promotional program.
- A listing of your location on our corporate website.
- Periodic on-site, telephone and electronic mail assistance on daily operations, marketing, financial management, and other key matters.
Whether it’s a simple question that can be answered by phone, or something that needs to be seen, we’re available for what you need.
The Initial Investment for an El Taco™ Restaurant
El Taco™ requires an initial investment ranging from around $ 75,000 to $ 150,000 depending on a number of factors, including the size of the restaurant and the amount of tenant improvement allowances provided by the landlord. This amount includes the initial franchise-partner fee, leasehold improvements, equipment, inventory, grand opening promotion, legal, accounting, insurance, working capital, and miscellaneous start-up items. Also included in this amount is approximately $ 9,000 to $ 18,000 HST, which is recoverable.
We do not provide financial assistance to franchise-partners. You are required to have sufficient capital to purchase the franchise, pay for the development of the premises, and have sufficient working capital available to cover the start-up phase of the business. Although this amount of money may be available to an applicant by way of bank loan, we will not approve any candidate unless they have approximately one-half of the total investment available in unencumbered cash. We are of the belief this amount of money is required so that the franchise-partner does not enter the business with an unreasonable debt load.
Royalties
In return for our ongoing support and services, you pay us a monthly royalty based on 3% of your gross sales.
The Mutual Investigation Process
We have developed a “Mutual Investigation Process” which allows both parties to exchange information in a sequential manner and proceed at their own pace. During this process you will be required to provide adequate information for us to evaluate your potential as an El Taco™ franchise-partner. At the same time, you will be receiving sufficient information from us about the franchise opportunity that will allow you to decide if you wish to move forward at each stage of the application process.
Step 1. The Initial Enquiry
The first step is to thoroughly read the information above. If you are still interested in pursuing an El Taco™ franchise, you should complete and submit the Initial On-line Enquiry Form located at the end of this section.
During this phase we will:
- Discuss your preferred location(s) and your time frame to opening Discuss the total level of investment and minimum cash requirement.
- Provide you with a copy of our Request for Information and Consideration Form.
Step 2. Franchise Application
The next step is for you to complete the Request for Information and Consideration Form and return it to our corporate office for our review. During this period, you are requested to refrain from discussing the business directly with any of our employees, our franchise-partners or their employees.
Step 3. The Personal Meeting
If the information provided in your Request for Information and Consideration Form meets our selection criteria we will arrange a personal meeting at which time you will be required to execute a Confidentiality/Non-Disclosure Agreement prior to being provided with more in-depth information.
The purpose of this meeting is to:
- Review your application
- Discuss the financial requirements
- Review potential locations
- Visit an El Taco™ restaurant
Step 4. Offer to Purchase Agreement
Should we mutually decide to proceed, the next step is for you to:
- Execute an Offer to Purchase Agreement and pay a deposit of $5,000, which is fully refundable.
- Receive a copy of our Franchise Agreement.
Step 5. Review the Franchise Agreement and Financial Projections
Once the Offer to Purchase Agreement has been executed and the deposit has been paid you have 15 days to:
- Have the Franchise Agreement reviewed by a lawyer who is experienced in the field of franchising. *
- Execute the Franchise Agreement and pay the balance of the initial franchise fee i.e. $10,000 (plus GST on the full amount of the initial franchise fee).
If during this 15-day period, you decide not to proceed with the franchise or we elect to proceed with your application, your entire deposit will be returned to you without delay.
* We thoroughly review the Franchise Agreement with you so that you have a clear understanding of what is involved before you have it reviewed by a lawyer.
Step 6. Location
If the location has not been determined prior to the execution of the Franchise Agreement you will commence your search for a location, which fits our site selection criteria, after execution of the franchise agreement and payment of the initial franchise fee.
This Mutual Investigation Process has been designed to assist the franchise applicant in determining if an El Taco™ franchise meets their requirements. We reserve the right in our sole discretion to change and amend the sequence of events without notice.
Take the first step to achieving your dream
Only one person will be opening an El Taco™ in your area. If you feel you have the passion for our kind of business and the entrepreneurial spirit to make El Taco™ a success, we will support you in achieving your goals and living your dreams!
This information is not intended as an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, afranchise. It is for informational purposes only. Currently, the following provinces, states and countries regulate the offer and sale of franchises: In Canada: Alberta and Ontario. In the US: California, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, NewYork, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. International: Australia, Brazil, Canada (Alberta and Ontario), France, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Russia, Spain, and Venezuela. If you are a resident of one of these provinces, states or countries, we will not offer you a franchise unless and until we have complied with applicable pre-sale registration and disclosure requirements in your jurisdiction.
