On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina franchise
2024 filing · April 15, 2024GrowingShares sales figures
On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina at a glance
A full-service Mexican and Tex-Mex restaurant with a full bar. At the end of 2023 there were 134 On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina locations in the US, 25 franchised and 109 company-owned, so most are run by the company itself.
The business
- Franchisor
- OTB Acquisition, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Irving, Texas
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $2.93M–$5.06M
- Full-service conventional restaurant, excluding land
- Franchise fee
- $30,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 4%
- 4% of gross sales, paid weekly
- Brand fund
- 2%
- 2% of gross sales
- Agreement length
- 20 years
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2023
- 134
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 25
- Company-owned
- 109
- Change in 3 years
- +6
- Franchised locations, 2021–2023
From OTB Acquisition, LLC’s 2024 filing; revenue and net loss from its audited financial statements, page 186; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Franchisor revenue is the company that sells the franchises (royalties, fees and anything else it earns), not what a location makes.
Where it ranks
On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $3,995,400 | Costs more than 96% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $30,000 | Lower than 72% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 4% | Lower than 93% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 134 | More than 81% of franchises |
How much a On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina franchise costs
Opening full-service conventional restaurant, excluding land costs an estimated $2,932,800 to $5,058,000. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
Source: OTB Acquisition, LLC, 2024 filing, page 23
On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina franchise fee
The franchise fee is $30,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: OTB Acquisition, LLC, 2024 filing, page 16
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 4% of gross sales, paid weekly. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 2% of gross sales. |
| Technology Fee | Currently $200. |
| Transfer | $2,500 to $25,000, depending on the transfer5. |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: OTB Acquisition, LLC, 2024 filing, page 17
Other fees as filed, from page 19. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
Source: OTB Acquisition, LLC, 2024 filing, page 71
- Estimate Estimated yearly sales per location
- $2.6M–$4.6M
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, 2023 / 2021–2023. Typical means the median: half of brands are above it, half below.
| Measure | On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina | Typical Mexican food brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | +8.7% / +32% | −2% / +2.3% | +1.2% / +10% |
| ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating | 0% / 26% | 3.3% / 11% | 3.9% / 16% |
| Bought backLocations the franchisor took back | 0% / 0% | 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 On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina compares
Of the 55 Mexican food franchises on this site, On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina is the most expensive to open and the 6th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina | Typical Mexican food brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $2.93M | $457K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $5.06M | $946K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $30K | $35K | $40K |
| Royalty | 4% | 5% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 2% | 2% | 2% |
| US locations | 134 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 25 (+6) | 113 | +7 | −1 |
| 2022 | 23 (−2) | 110 | +2 | −4 |
| 2023 | 25 (+2) | 109 | +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.
More in the guides: franchise failure rates.
Source: OTB Acquisition, LLC, 2024 filing, page 82
Who owns On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina?
On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina franchises are sold by OTB Acquisition, LLC. It is a subsidiary of OTB Holding LLC.
From OTB Acquisition, LLC’s 2024 filing, page 10.
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: OTB Acquisition, LLC, 2024 filing, litigation on page 15, bankruptcy on page 15
On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina filings
The figures on this page come from OTB Acquisition, LLC’s 2024 filing, issued April 15, 2024, on record with the Minnesota Department of Commerce.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 filing | April 15, 2024 | Minnesota | Costs, fees and locations, 2021–2023 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
Other Mexican food franchises
All Mexican food franchises
On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina is also on these lists: restaurant franchises, food franchises.