Super Mex franchise
2024 filing · April 22, 2024Fewer locations
Super Mex at a glance
A full-service restaurant serving traditional Mexican dishes made with proprietary recipes, salsas and sauces. At the end of 2023 there were 9 Super Mex locations in the US, 4 franchised and 5 company-owned, so most are run by the company itself.
The business
- Franchisor
- SM Franchise, Inc
- The company that sells the franchises
- Typical size
- 2,400–6,000 sq ft
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $419K–$1.46M
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $25,000
- For a protected area
- Royalty
- 3.5%
- 3.5% of gross revenues, paid monthly, plus 0.5% for system advertising (may rise, up to 3%) and at least $250 a month on local advertising
- Brand fund
- Yes
- ½% of gross revenue a month, paid monthly
- Agreement length
- 10 years
Where it is
- US locations, 2023
- 9
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 4
- Company-owned
- 5
- Change in 2 years
- −2
- Franchised locations, 2021–2023
- States
- 1
- Most in California
From SM Franchise, Inc’s 2024 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Super Mex among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Super Mex | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $938,672 | Costs more than 82% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $25,000 | Lower than 82% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 3.5% | Lower than 97% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 9 | Fewer than 63% of franchises |
How much a Super Mex franchise costs
Opening one Super Mex costs an estimated $418,644 to $1,458,700. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are leasehold improvements ($120,000 to $800,000) and kitchen equipment, furniture and fixtures ($69,000 to $188,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $25,000 | ||
| Technology | $38,000 | $62,000 | |
| Kitchen Equipment, Furniture and Fixtures | $69,000 | $188,000 | |
| Real Estate | $12,144 | $58,200 | |
| Leasehold Improvements | $120,000 | $800,000 | |
| Utilities | $800 | $2,000 | |
| Signage | $8,500 | $20,000 | |
| Start Up Inventory | $35,000 | $58,000 | |
| Vehicle | $0 | $2,500 | |
| Vehicle Graphics | $500 | $2,500 | |
| Grand Opening Marketing | $5,000 | $8,000 | |
| Staffing | $57,000 | $125,000 | |
| Uniforms | $400 | $700 | |
| Insurance | $7,000 | $12,000 | |
| Travel, Lodging and Meals for Initial Training Program | $5,300 | $6,800 | |
| Licenses, Permits, Certifications and other Professional Fees | $5,000 | $8,000 | |
| Additional Funds (3 Months) | $30,000 | $80,000 | |
| Total | $418,644 | $1,458,700 | |
Source: SM Franchise, Inc, 2024 filing, page 19
Super Mex franchise fee
The franchise fee is $25,000, for a protected area. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: SM Franchise, Inc, 2024 filing, page 11
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 3.5% of gross revenues, paid monthly, plus 0.5% for system advertising (may rise, up to 3%) and at least $250 a month on local advertising. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | ½% of gross revenue a month, paid monthly. |
| Technology | $38,000 |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: SM Franchise, Inc, 2024 filing, page 12
Other fees as filed, from page 19. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
No figures Super Mex does not share sales or profit figures for its locations. Talking to current and former franchise owners is the usual way to learn what a location earns.
Source: SM Franchise, Inc, 2024 filing, page 56
- Estimate Estimated yearly sales per location
- $1.1M–$2M
Estimated from the sales that 292 comparable franchises file, matched on industry, format, cost to open, fees and size.
How Super Mex compares
Of the 55 Mexican food franchises on this site, Super Mex is the 22nd cheapest to open and the 33rd largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Super Mex | Typical Mexican food brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $419K | $457K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $1.46M | $946K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $25K | $35K | $40K |
| Royalty | 3.5% | 5% | 6% |
| US locations | 9 | 15 | 21 |
| Closed or left per year | 16.7% | 6.3% | – |
| Change in franchised locations, 2 yrs | −33.3% | +2.1% | – |
| Shares earnings figures | No | 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 | 6 (0) | 5 | – | – |
| 2022 | 4 (−2) | 5 | 0 | −2 |
| 2023 | 4 (0) | 5 | 0 | 0 |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating. The filing's totals also count one licensed restaurant, which closed in 2021.
See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.
More in the guides: franchise failure rates.
Source: SM Franchise, Inc, 2024 filing, page 57
Where Super Mex locations are
At the end of 2023, Super Mex had franchised locations in 1 state. The most are in California.
- California4
| State | Franchised |
|---|---|
| California | 4 |
Source: SM Franchise, Inc, 2024 filing, page 58
Who owns Super Mex?
Super Mex franchises are sold by SM Franchise, Inc.
From SM Franchise, Inc’s 2024 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: SM Franchise, Inc, 2024 filing, litigation on page 10, bankruptcy on page 11
Super Mex filings
The figures on this page come from SM Franchise, Inc’s 2024 filing, issued April 22, 2024, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 filing | April 22, 2024 | NASAA depository | 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
Super Mex is also on these lists: restaurant franchises, food franchises.