Taco John's vs California Tortilla Franchise Comparison

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

Start-Up Costs and Fees

 
Taco John's Franchise
California Tortilla Franchise
Investment $475,000 - $1,599,000$378,400 - $697,000
Franchise Fee $25,000$40,000
Royalty Fee 5%5%
Advertising Fee 4%.5% local +2% Nat'l
Year Founded 19681995
Year Franchised 19691995
Term Of Agreement 20 years+10+10+1010 years
Term Of Agreement 20 years+10+10+1010 years
Renewal Fee --


Business Experience Requirements

 
Taco John's Franchise
California Tortilla Franchise
Experience
  • Industry 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 John's Franchise
    California Tortilla 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
    California Tortilla Franchise
    Training - On-The-Job Training: 200 hours Classroom Training: 10 hours
    Support Newsletter, Meetings, Toll-free phone line, Grand opening, 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 Co-op advertising, Ad slicks Co-op Advertising Ad Templates National Media Regional Advertising Social media SEO Website development Email marketing Loyalty program/app
    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)

    Absentee Ownership Allowed Number of Employees Required to Run: 15

    Expansion Plans

     
    Taco John's Franchise
    California Tortilla Franchise
    US Expansion YesYes
    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 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.