Mexican restaurants are the second most common restaurant type in the United States now, according to a new report from CHD Expert, a company that aggregates and analyzes foodservice data. There are 59,800 Mexican restaurants in the country, just topping the 59,300 pizzerias.
"From small taquerias with a loyal local customer base, to the chains with addicted millennial customers, our nation's Mexican restaurants are a deep well of demand for businesses who want to sell more into this menu type," said Catherine Kearns, general manager of CHD Expert The Americas. "Many distributors and suppliers have niche products focused towards restaurants that serve Mexican food, and it is important for them to understand their sales potential and where opportunities lie within this lucrative menu type."
As a whole, the Mexican menu type generates approximately $45 billion in annual retail sales, averaging approximately $766,000 per unit. Broken down by segment, 58 percent of Mexican restaurants are Full Service Restaurants (FSR) and 42 percent are Limited Service Restaurants (LSR). By definition FSRs operate with a wait staff and offer table service, while LSRs require food to be purchased at a counter and paid for before food is served.
Breaking these LSR operators down, Taco Bell makes up 42 percent of all LSR Mexican Chain restaurants. The other most prevalent Mexican chains are Chipotle Mexican Grill (15%), Qdoba Mexican Grill (4.4%), Moe's Southwest Grill (3.9%), and Del Taco (3.6%).
Within the FSR market segment, 85 percent of the restaurants fall within the Casual Dining category, followed by Family Style (12%), Upscale Dining (3%) and Fine Dining (less than 1%). Chuy's and On The Border represent two of the larger Mexican FSR chains. Among the fine dining restaurants is celebrity chef Rick Bayless's TOPOLOBAMPO in Chicago, which grosses more than $5 Million annually and a $50+ average check.
Geographically speaking, it's no surprise that the state of Texas is el jefe in terms of total Mexican restaurants within its state lines, with 18 percent of the state's total restaurants being of the Mexican Menu Type, two times higher than the national average. And to further validate the southwest roots of Mexican cuisine in the USA; New Mexico (14%), California (13%), Arizona (13%), and Colorado (12%) round out the top five states with the largest percentage of the Mexican menu type within the state's total restaurant landscape.
CHD Expert packaged the most interesting facts and figures into a trends report designed to help foodservice industry professionals better understand the Mexican restaurant landscape in the United States.To access the 2017 Mexican Restaurant Trends Report in its entirety, please visit: info.chd-expert.com/chd-expert-mexican-restaurant-industr...Or, to purchase a list of Mexican restaurants broken down by state and business size, please email cathy@chd-expert.com.