Taco Palace vs California Tortilla Franchise Comparison

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

Start-Up Costs and Fees

 
Taco Palace Franchise
California Tortilla Franchise
Investment $53,200 - $133,100$378,400 - $697,000
Franchise Fee $33,950$40,000
Royalty Fee 0-4%5%
Advertising Fee -.5% local +2% Nat'l
Year Founded 19851995
Year Franchised 19961995
Term Of Agreement 1 year+10 years
Term Of Agreement 1 year+10 years
Renewal Fee --


Business Experience Requirements

 
Taco Palace Franchise
California Tortilla Franchise
Experience
  • General business experience
  • * A minimum of $1,000,000 net worth and $250,000 of liquid assets to invest in your California Tortilla franchise; * Experience in either the food/restaurant industry; and/or prior franchise experience; and/or prior business or management experience (whew!); * A passionate commitment to customer service; * A sound operating plan to manage your business; * A cultural fit with California Tortilla and a passion for Mexican food; * The willingness to learn and apply the California Tortilla Operating System.

    Financing Options

     
    Taco Palace Franchise
    California Tortilla 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
    California Tortilla Franchise
    Training - On-The-Job Training: 200 hours Classroom Training: 10 hours
    Support Internet, Security/safety procedures, Field operations/evaluations, Purchasing cooperativesPurchasing Co-ops Newsletter Meetings/Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Security/Safety Procedures Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform
    Marketing Ad slicks Co-op Advertising Ad Templates National Media Regional Advertising Social media SEO Website development Email marketing Loyalty program/app
    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)

    Absentee Ownership Allowed Number of Employees Required to Run: 15

    Expansion Plans

     
    Taco Palace Franchise
    California Tortilla Franchise
    US Expansion -Yes
    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 California Tortilla

    California Tortilla is Mexican Re-Imagined. From the ingredients to the preparation to customer service, we’ve transformed a "quick bite” into a mouth-watering, crave-inducing, "I can’t wait to come back” experience.

    California Tortilla is a unique fast casual Mexican restaurant franchise that serves "California style” Mexican food. We focus on one aspect that many other Fast Casuals continue to ignore; quality. We source the best ingredients from local farm to table purveyors. We use only premium proteins and our salsa, guacamole, queso and sauces are made fresh daily and are never frozen. In fact, there’s no freezer on site at all. Our menu is Chef-Inspired, and while we cater to individual customer needs, we offer bold and exciting flavor profiles in our signature products. Perhaps most importantly, guests aren’t a number at Cal Tort. They are individuals… people that we really like and want to see again and again.