Taco John's vs El Chico Cafe Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Taco John's vs El Chico Cafe including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees
 
Taco John's Franchise
El Chico Cafe Franchise
Investment $475,000 - $1,599,000$1,550,000 - $2,530,000
Franchise Fee $25,000$35,000
Royalty Fee 5%5%
Advertising Fee 4%-
Year Founded 19681940
Year Franchised 19691969
Term Of Agreement 20 years+10+10+10-
Term Of Agreement 20 years+10+10+10-
Renewal Fee --


Business Experience Requirements
 
Taco John's Franchise
El Chico Cafe Franchise
Experience
  • Industry experience
  • General business experience
    		• -

    Financing Options
     
    Taco John's Franchise
    El Chico Cafe Franchise
      In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
    Franchise Fees No/Yes-/-
    Start-up Costs No/Yes-/-
    Equipment No/Yes-/-
    Inventory No/Yes-/-
    Receivables No/No-/-
    Payroll No/No-/-

    Training & Support
     
    Taco John's Franchise
    El Chico Cafe Franchise
    Training --
    Support Newsletter, Meetings, Toll-free phone line, Grand opening, Internet, Security/safety procedures, Field operations/evaluations, Purchasing cooperatives-
    Marketing Co-op advertising, Ad slicks-
    Operations 37% of all franchisees own more than one unit

    Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 15

    Absentee ownership of franchise is allowed. (75% of current franchisees are owner/operators)

    		-

    Expansion Plans
     
    Taco John's Franchise
    El Chico Cafe Franchise
    US Expansion Yes-
    Canada Expansion No-
    International Expansion No-

    Company Overviews

    About Taco John's

    The story of Taco John's sounds more like a legend than the history of a business. In Cheyenne, Wyoming, a man named Juan opened a tiny taco house, serving uniquely seasoned and generously sized tacos and burritos. An immediate hit with the locals, the taco house was quickly purchased by local businessmen Harold Holmes and Jim Woodson in 1969. Renamed Taco John's, it began selling franchises right away and now has restaurants across America. The privately held company is still based in Cheyenne.

    "Entrepreneur

    #115 in Franchise 500 for 2020.
    #315 in Franchise 500 for 2021.


    About El Chico Cafe

    Since 1940, El Chico Cafe restaurants reflect over sixty years of changing tastes and styles and our guests’ preferences. We have taken care to preserve the heritage while updating the decor and adding exciting new tastes to our menu. The strength of El Chico comes from the simple fact that we have been in this business so long that we know how to improve traditional favorites and how to introduce our guests to the next level of great Mexican food through new product development.