Canadian burrito chain to expand in Middle East

Canadian burrito chain to expand in Middle East
Tags: Business Strategy and Profitability, Franchising & Growth, Fresh Mex
July 25, 2010

The Canadian burrito chain Mucho Burrito will open its first location in the Middle East later this year in Oman. Mucho Burrito executives recently entered into a master franchisee agreement with The Double Crown Group and plans to have six restaurants up and running in the next 10 years, said Mark Cunningham, executive VP of International Operations and Business Development for Mucho Burrito.

Cunningham said the company's first restaurant will be located in the Muscat Grand Mall, a new mall in the Sultanate of Oman which, upon completion, will be the biggest mall in the country.

"The region's strong economic growth and increasing population presents a tremendous growth opportunity for us as we begin to expand our brand outside of North America," Cunningham said. "We feel that Mexican is under-represented in the fast casual portion of the business and look forward to feeding the local appetites with freshly made and authentic ingredients not seen before in the region."

Mucho Burrito provides customers with fresh and authentic Mexican food in a contemporary and casual setting. Customers can choose from a variety of menu selections including hand-rolled burritos, tacos and quesadillas, as well as nacho plates, salads and a selection of custom "Johnny Mucho" sauces.

"Oman is just the beginning," Cunningham added. "We plan to increase our presence in the Middle East, as well as across Eastern and Western Europe, China and India."

Mucho Burrito, which opened its doors June 13, 2006, in Mississauga, Ontario, was founded by Mark and Alex Rechichi, who also founded Extreme Pita, and Sean Black, who served as Extreme Pita’s VP of Real Estate and Franchise Development. Today, Mucho Burrito has grown to nearly 30 restaurants throughout Canada.