Taco Palace vs El Chico Cafe Franchise Comparison

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

Start-Up Costs and Fees

 
Taco Palace Franchise
El Chico Cafe Franchise
Investment $53,200 - $133,100$1,550,000 - $2,530,000
Franchise Fee $33,950$35,000
Royalty Fee 0-4%5%
Advertising Fee --
Year Founded 19851940
Year Franchised 19961969
Term Of Agreement 1 year+-
Term Of Agreement 1 year+-
Renewal Fee --


Business Experience Requirements

 
Taco Palace Franchise
El Chico Cafe Franchise
Experience
  • General business experience
  • -

    Financing Options

     
    Taco Palace Franchise
    El Chico Cafe Franchise
      In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
    Franchise Fees No/No-/-
    Start-up Costs No/No-/-
    Equipment No/No-/-
    Inventory No/No-/-
    Receivables No/No-/-
    Payroll No/No-/-

    Training & Support

     
    Taco Palace Franchise
    El Chico Cafe Franchise
    Training --
    Support Internet, Security/safety procedures, Field operations/evaluations, Purchasing cooperatives-
    Marketing Ad slicks-
    Operations 0% of all franchisees own more than one unit

    Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 12

    Absentee ownership of franchise is allowed. (80% of current franchisees are owner/operators)

    -

    Expansion Plans

     
    Taco Palace Franchise
    El Chico Cafe Franchise
    US Expansion --
    Canada Expansion No-
    International Expansion Yes-

    Company Overviews

    About Taco Palace

    Husband-and-wife team Larry and Sandi Faria bought Taco Palace from Kirk Davison in 1985. The Farias had previously owned a pair of Chevron Oil Co. franchises and brought to Taco Palace 16 years of franchise experience. In developing Taco Palace's franchise program, the Farias were driven by the goal to develop a franchisee-friendly system. Taco Palace franchisees are not required to pay a franchise fee and are strongly encouraged to rent or lease an existing building and then dress it up, rather than construct a new one, a practice that helps to lessen start-up costs. The privately held company is headquartered in Monett, Missouri, and has a co-branding relationship with Kentucky Fried Chicken.

    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.