El Fresco Mexican Grill franchise
2026 filing · March 10, 2026GrowingShares sales figures
El Fresco Mexican Grill at a glance
A fast-casual restaurant serving fresh Mexican food for dine-in, carry-out and delivery. At the end of 2025 there were 4 El Fresco Mexican Grill locations in the US, 2 franchised and 2 company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- El Fresco Franchising Systems, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Typical size
- 2,000–3,000 sq ft
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $354K–$606K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $30,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 5%
- 5% of gross sales, paid weekly, plus 1% to the brand fund and up to 3% on local marketing
- Brand fund
- 1%
- 1% of gross sales, paid weekly
- Agreement length
- 10 years
Where it is
- US locations, 2025
- 4
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 2
- Company-owned
- 2
- Change in 3 years
- +1
- Franchised locations, 2023–2025
- States
- 1
- Most in Virginia
From El Fresco Franchising Systems, LLC’s 2026 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
El Fresco Mexican Grill among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | El Fresco Mexican Grill | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $479,796 | Costs more than 62% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $30,000 | Lower than 72% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 5% | Lower than 69% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 4 | Fewer than 74% of franchises |
How much a El Fresco Mexican Grill franchise costs
Opening one El Fresco Mexican Grill costs an estimated $353,758 to $605,833. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
Source: El Fresco Franchising Systems, LLC, 2026 filing, page 17
El Fresco Mexican Grill franchise fee
The franchise fee is $30,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: El Fresco Franchising Systems, LLC, 2026 filing, page 11
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 5% of gross sales, paid weekly, plus 1% to the brand fund and up to 3% on local marketing. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 1% of gross sales, paid weekly. |
| Monthly Tech Fee | $175 |
| Transfer fee | $10,000 plus any broker fees and other out-of-pocket costs we incur |
| Replacement/Additional Training fee | Currently, $100 per day |
| Local Marketing/Required Spending | (up to) 3% of your gross sales |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: El Fresco Franchising Systems, LLC, 2026 filing, page 11
Other fees as filed, from pages 12–14. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures El Fresco Mexican Grill publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
Source: El Fresco Franchising Systems, LLC, 2026 filing, page 40
- Estimate Estimated yearly sales per location
- $640K–$1.2M
Estimated from the sales that 292 comparable franchises file, matched on industry, format, cost to open, fees and size.
Growth and closures
Share of franchised locations, 2025 / 2023–2025. Typical means the median: half of brands are above it, half below.
| Measure | El Fresco Mexican Grill | Typical Mexican food brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | 0% / +100% | −2% / +2.3% | +1.2% / +10% |
| ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating | 0% / 0% | 3.3% / 11% | 3.9% / 16% |
| Bought backLocations the franchisor took back | 0% / 100% | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% |
Typical Mexican food brand is the median of the 16 brands in mexican food franchises with three years of counts.
How El Fresco Mexican Grill compares
Of the 55 Mexican food franchises on this site, El Fresco Mexican Grill is the 14th cheapest to open and the 45th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | El Fresco Mexican Grill | Typical Mexican food brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $354K | $457K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $606K | $946K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $30K | $35K | $40K |
| Royalty | 5% | 5% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 1% | 2% | 2% |
| US locations | 4 | 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 | 3 (+2) | 1 | +2 | 0 |
| 2024 | 2 (−1) | 2 | 0 | −1 |
| 2025 | 2 (0) | 2 | 0 | 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.
El Fresco Mexican Grill 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: El Fresco Franchising Systems, LLC, 2026 filing, page 41
Where El Fresco Mexican Grill locations are
At the end of 2025, El Fresco Mexican Grill had locations in 1 state. The most are in Virginia.
- Virginia4
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia | 2 | 2 | 4 |
Source: El Fresco Franchising Systems, LLC, 2026 filing, page 42
Who owns El Fresco Mexican Grill?
El Fresco Mexican Grill franchises are sold by El Fresco Franchising Systems, LLC.
From El Fresco Franchising Systems, 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: El Fresco Franchising Systems, LLC, 2026 filing, litigation on page 10, bankruptcy on page 10
El Fresco Mexican Grill filings
The figures on this page come from El Fresco Franchising Systems, LLC’s 2026 filing, issued March 10, 2026, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 filing | March 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
El Fresco Mexican Grill is also on these lists: restaurant franchises, food franchises.