Café Mexicali franchise
2026 filing · April 10, 2026GrowingShares sales figures
Café Mexicali at a glance
A fast-casual Mexican restaurant serving burritos, tacos and other dishes, with breakfast burritos and, at some locations, alcoholic drinks. At the end of 2025 there were 6 Café Mexicali locations in the US, 2 franchised and 4 company-owned, so most are run by the company itself.
The business
- Franchisor
- Café Mexicali – Franchising, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Typical size
- 3,000–3,500 sq ft
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $668K–$1.25M
- A single restaurant
- Franchise fee
- $45,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 6%
- 6% of gross sales, paid each accounting period
- Brand fund
- None now
- Not charged at present (0%); up to 4% of gross sales
- Renewal fee
- $5,000
- When the agreement ends and you sign again
- Agreement length
- 10 years
Where it is
- US locations, 2025
- 6
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 2
- Company-owned
- 4
- Change in 3 years
- +2
- Franchised locations, 2023–2025
- States
- 1
- Most in Colorado
From Café Mexicali – Franchising, LLC’s 2026 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Café Mexicali among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Café Mexicali | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $960,350 | Costs more than 82% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $45,000 | Higher than 55% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 6% | Higher than 35% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 6 | Fewer than 69% of franchises |
How much a Café Mexicali franchise costs
Opening a single restaurant costs an estimated $668,200 to $1,252,500. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are leasehold improvements ($245,000 to $520,000) and furniture, fixtures, supplies, smallware, Décor and equipment ($190,000 to $285,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extension Fee (Development Agreement) | $1,500 | ||
| Initial Franchise Fee | $45,000 | ||
| Real Property/Site Lease | $40,000 | $80,000 | |
| Site Design, Architectural and Engineering Fees | $25,000 | $60,000 | |
| Leasehold Improvements | $245,000 | $520,000 | |
| Furniture, Fixtures, Supplies, Smallware, Décor and Equipment | $190,000 | $285,000 | |
| Opening Inventory | $12,000 | $17,000 | |
| Signage | $22,000 | $35,000 | |
| Soft Costs | $7,000 | $15,000 | |
| Insurance | $8,000 | $10,000 | |
| Computer System and Software | $10,000 | $20,000 | |
| Initial Training and Opening Assistance Costs and Reimbursements | $21,000 | $30,000 | |
| Security and Utility Deposits | $200 | $3,500 | |
| Business Licenses, including Beer, Liquor and Wine License Costs | $1,000 | $25,000 | |
| Grand Opening Ad Expenditure | $12,000 | ||
| Additional Funds – 3 months | $30,000 | $95,000 | |
| Total | $668,200 | $1,252,500 | |
Source: Café Mexicali – Franchising, LLC, 2026 filing, page 16
Café Mexicali franchise fee
The franchise fee is $45,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Café Mexicali – Franchising, LLC, 2026 filing, page 10
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 6% of gross sales, paid each accounting period. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | Not charged at present (0%); up to 4% of gross sales. |
| Computer System and Software | $10,000 to $20,000 |
| Renewal Fee | $5,000 |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Café Mexicali – Franchising, LLC, 2026 filing, pages 11 and 12
Other fees as filed, from pages 14–16. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Café Mexicali publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
Source: Café Mexicali – Franchising, LLC, 2026 filing, page 51
- Estimate Estimated yearly sales per location
- $1M–$1.8M
Estimated from the sales that 292 comparable franchises file, matched on industry, format, cost to open, fees and size.
SBA loans to Café Mexicali franchisees
Lenders approved one SBA 7(a) loan for a Café Mexicali franchisee in 2026, for $868K. It hasn’t been paid off or charged off yet.
A charged-off loan is one written off as uncollectible. See SBA franchise loans for how 7(a) and 504 loans work.
Source: SBA 7(a) and 504 loan data, as of September 30, 2026
How Café Mexicali compares
Of the 55 Mexican food franchises on this site, Café Mexicali is the 40th cheapest to open and the 36th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Café Mexicali | Typical Mexican food brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $668K | $457K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $1.25M | $946K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $45K | $35K | $40K |
| Royalty | 6% | 5% | 6% |
| US locations | 6 | 15 | 21 |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 38 of 55 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 55 brands in mexican food franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 0 (0) | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 (0) | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 2 (+2) | 4 | +2 | 0 |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating.
See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.
Café Mexicali passes four of the five tests on our list of the best franchises to own; it had fewer than 100 US locations three years ago.
More in the guides: franchise failure rates.
Source: Café Mexicali – Franchising, LLC, 2026 filing, page 60
Where Café Mexicali locations are
At the end of 2025, Café Mexicali had locations in 1 state. The most are in Colorado.
- Colorado6
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado | 2 | 4 | 6 |
Source: Café Mexicali – Franchising, LLC, 2026 filing, page 61
Who owns Café Mexicali?
Café Mexicali franchises are sold by Café Mexicali – Franchising, LLC.
From Café Mexicali – Franchising, LLC’s 2026 filing.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | None. The filing says no litigation has to be disclosed. |
|---|---|
| Bankruptcy | None. The filing says no bankruptcy has to be disclosed. |
Franchisors must disclose lawsuits and bankruptcies involving the company, its parents and affiliates, and its executives. Many cases are routine disputes with franchisees over fees or contracts; read the descriptions in the filing and ask current owners about anything that worries you.
Source: Café Mexicali – Franchising, LLC, 2026 filing, litigation on page 10, bankruptcy on page 10
Café Mexicali filings
The figures on this page come from Café Mexicali – Franchising, LLC’s 2026 filing, issued April 10, 2026, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 filing | April 10, 2026 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2023–2025 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
Other Mexican food franchises
All Mexican food franchises
Café Mexicali is also on these lists: restaurant franchises, food franchises.