California Tortilla

Mexican food
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Franchise 500 Rank
N/R Not ranked last year
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Initial investment
$442K - $837K
Units as of 2024
30 Decrease 21% over 3 years

Popularly known as Cal Tort, California Tortilla offers Mexican food services California style. The company may be known as unique, casual, and fast. California Tortilla also often directs their focus on one thing, quality.

California Tortilla was first opened in Bethesda, Maryland, in August of 1995 by business partners Alan Cohen and Pam Felix. California Tortilla began franchising in 2003 and now has over 30 units spread across the United States. California Tortilla headquarters is located in Potomac, Maryland.

Why You May Want to Start a California Tortilla Franchise

As a franchisee with California Tortilla, you will be a beneficiary of the guidance provided by franchise advisors from California Tortilla. These are experts who will help you with your management queries and offer advice where necessary. This service will be provided for free from the start of the business operations until you can efficiently run the business without any problem.

You may also benefit from the exclusive territory offered to each California Tortilla franchisee. The exclusive territory means this means that no California Tortilla franchisee will be allowed to operate in your region once you begin offering your customers service. The minimum number of employees required to run this franchise efficiently is in the mid-teens. California Tortilla provides training sessions and support before you begin offering your services to the consumers. A franchisee must attend on-the-job training lasting more than 100 hours and classroom training accumulating to several dozen hours.

What Might Make a California Tortilla Franchise a Good Choice? 

To be part of the California Tortilla franchise team, you should make sure you're financially ready for an initial investment made up of a franchise fee and other startup costs. In addition, you should prepare yourself for ongoing fees that will include advertising, royalty, and potential renewal fees. A typical franchise agreement runs for ten years. Franchisees will also need to meet the company's set net worth and liquid capital requirements.

A franchisee will benefit from the ongoing support offered, including a toll-free line, online support, lease negotiation, site selection, franchisee intranet platform, proprietary software, field operations, security and safety procedures, newsletter, grand opening, meetings, and conventions. Marketing support may include website development, ad templates, email marketing, regional advertising, social media operations, loyalty program app, and search engine optimization.

How To Open a California Tortilla Franchise

As you decide if opening a California Tortilla location is the right decision for you, make sure you take time to explore the opportunity. Research the brand and your local area to see if a California Tortilla franchise would do well in your community. While competition is healthy, too much of it may not allow for the most possible growth.

Before making any financial commitment or signing an agreement, you must perform your due diligence and establish if this is the right opportunity for you. As part of your due diligence, you may want to speak to existing franchisees and ask the California Tortilla franchising team questions. 

Before long, after completing all the necessary steps and having the franchisor sign off, you may find yourself as the newest California Tortilla franchisee.

Find Your Perfect Franchise

Company Overview

About California Tortilla

Industry Food
Related Categories Mexican Food
Founded 1995
Parent Company The California Tortilla Group Inc.
Leadership Keith Goldman, President/CEO
Corporate Address 7825 Tuckerman Ln., #214
Potomac, MD 20854
Social Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok

Business Overview

Franchising Since 2003 (22 years)
# of employees at HQ 10
Where seeking

This company is offering new franchises throughout the US.

This company is offering new franchises worldwide.

# of Units 30 (as of 2024)

Information for Franchisees

Here's what you need to know if you're interested in opening a California Tortilla franchise.

Financial Requirements & Ongoing Fees

Here's what you can expect to spend to start the business and what ongoing fees the franchisor charges throughout the life of the business.

Initial Franchise Fee Information Circle
$40,000
Initial Investment Information Circle
$441,700 - $836,500
Net Worth Requirement Information Circle
$1,000,000
Cash Requirement Information Circle
$250,000
Royalty Fee Information Circle
5%
Ad Royalty Fee Information Circle
2%
Term of Agreement Information Circle
10 years
Is franchise term renewable? Yes
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Financing Options

Some franchisors offer in-house financing, while others have relationships with third-party financing sources to which they refer qualified franchisees.

Third Party Financing California Tortilla has relationships with third-party sources which offer financing to cover the following: franchise fee, startup costs, equipment, inventory, accounts receivable, payroll

Training & Support Offered

Franchisors offer initial training programs and a variety of ongoing support options to help franchisees run their businesses.

On-The-Job Training 163 hours
Classroom Training 37 hours
Ongoing Support
Newsletter
Meetings & Conventions
Toll-Free Line
Grand Opening
Online Support
Security & Safety Procedures
Lease Negotiation
Field Operations
Site Selection
Proprietary Software
Franchisee Intranet Platform
Marketing Support
Ad Templates
National Media
Regional Advertising
Social Media
SEO
Website Development
Email Marketing
Loyalty Program/App

Operations

Additional details about running this franchise.

Is absentee ownership allowed? No
Can this franchise be run from home/mobile unit? Information Circle
No
Can this franchise be run part time? Information Circle
No
# of employees required to run 15
Are exclusive territories available? Information Circle
Yes
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Franchise 500 Ranking History

Compare where California Tortilla landed on this year's Franchise 500 Ranking versus previous years.

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Disclaimer
The information on this page is not intended as an endorsement or recommendation of any particular franchise or business opportunity by Entrepreneur Media. Our listings and rankings are solely research tools you can use to compare opportunities. Entrepreneur stresses that you should always conduct your own independent investigation before investing in a franchise or business opportunity. That should include reviewing the company's legal documents, consulting with an attorney and an accountant, and talking to former and current franchisees/licensees/dealers.
Updated: December 12th, 2022