Franchising

Fajita Pete's signs deals to add 15 locations

Provided

October 1, 2020

Fajita Pete's has signed agreements for 15 Texas restaurants, including five in Austin, a new market for the brand. The company is also adding five locations in Dallas and five in Houston.

"Fajita Pete's is attracting a lot of attention from potential franchisees because our proven business model has seen the brand not only survive but thrive during the pandemic," said Fajita Pete's Founder and CEO Pedro "Pete" Mora in a press release. "With these latest signings, our expansion plan has exceeded our expectations. We also have more locations in the pipeline, both inside and outside of Texas, that we plan to announce soon."

The delivery-focused concept opened its first location 12 years ago in Houston and features a simple menu centered around fajitas and margaritas. Each Fajita Pete's restaurant offers curbside pickup, in-store pickup, delivery, catering and limited dine-in. Its high-ticket averages, low cost of entry and highly efficient operational model are driving franchisee signings, Mora said. Its smaller scale restaurants — about 1,200 to 1,500 square feet — have the added benefit of keeping rent, construction and maintenance costs low.

Michael Blalock, Enterprise mobility executive and Fajita Pete's franchisee, signed the Austin deal and will open his first location in Clear Lake, just north of Houston, in early 2021.

"The catering and delivery model is strong now and will continue to be in the future, and the passionate Fajita Pete's team is committed to serving consistent, high-quality food," Blalock said in the release. "My wife and I are proud University of Texas alumni, and we are very familiar with the Austin market. We see the concept fitting right in with the local vibe because of the team's deep pride in the food and love of the brand — it's not just another quick service restaurant."

Expanding in the brand's home market of Houston is food influencer @subtlefoodie Anthony Compofelice, who has an Instagram following of more than 16,000. He opened his first restaurant Sept. 27 in The Woodlands at 24345 Gosling Road, Suite 225B, with four more locations slated for Houston's northern suburbs over the next four years.

"I travel the world doing food tours on behalf of various organizations, and I'm blown away by what I've found in my own backyard with Fajita Pete's," Compofelice said in the release. "Houston has the fastest-growing zip codes in the nation, and the concept makes sense from both an operational and a food quality standpoint."

Fajita Pete's will also expand its Dallas footprint with franchisee Hugh Guill, who joined the brand as an investor in 2018. Guill opened his first Dallas location at 4441 Lovers Lane on Sept. 28 and plans to open four additional locations in Oak Lawn, North Dallas, Plano and Lakewood in the next three years.

"I was looking for a simple, low-overhead food concept to invest in, and then fell in love with Fajita Pete's — not just the brand but also the people and the food," Guill said. "I have gone from being an investor in the brand to supporting the corporate team with their marketing and training efforts because I wholeheartedly believe in this concept and want Fajita Pete's to be in the conversation when people decide where they're going to pick up food for themselves and their families."

Fajita Pete's has agreements to expand its unit count from 16 to 51 within the next three to four years. Plans are under way to open in Kansas City, the first Fajita Pete's outside of Texas, followed by other states.