Costa Vida is a Lehi, Utah-based fast casual restaurant chain inspired by the fresh tasting foods and vibrant lifestyle of the Baja Peninsula. The menu is created from scratch using quality ingredients and offers a variety of made-to-order items such as tacos, burritos, enchiladas, salads and desserts. With over 60 restaurants spread across the United States and several new markets opening this year, the chain is in the midst of an aggressive growth period. To augment this growth, industry veteran Terry Jennings has recently joined the management team as Director of Franchise Development. Having decades of experience in the restaurant industry, his role will focus on strategic growth in existing markets and select development of new territories. His primary objectives include, recruiting strong restaurant operators to be part of the Costa Vida family, strategically targeting growth markets across the country and increasing average unit sales by positioning new locations in the strongest retail space possible. Later in third quarter 2014, Costa Vida will enter the East Coast region with its first location in Cummings, part of the Atlanta metropolitan area in Georgia. The unit is in the former Laredo’s Mexican Bar & Grill location in the Shops at Brannon Crossing. It is about 3000 square feet with a large patio area and seating for about 100 guests. Traditionally, the franchise chain targets multi-unit operators and this is the case with the Georgia location. Another Georgia location is expected this year and a multi-unit agreement is in place in Alabama which will see the first location opening in Alabama this year. In addition, negotiations are well underway with multi-unit operators for markets in Tennessee and Florida. The company anticipates adding another four restaurants in the Southeast region in 2015.
CATEGORY: Quick Casual
Chain Name: Costa Vida Fresh Mexican Grill
Company Name: Costa Vita
Street Address: 2989 West Maple Loop Dr., Suite 100, Lehi, Utah 84043-7408
Tel: 801/797-2374 Fax: 801/931-2455
Email: info@costavita.net Website: www.costavita.net
Menu Specialty: Baja Peninsula inspired menu of fresh, made-to-order items such as tacos, burritos, enchiladas, salads and desserts.
Introduced: 2003 by JD and Sarah Gardner in Layton, Utah
No. of Locations: Over 60 in the US and Canada
Areas of Operation: United States, Canada
Types of Location: End caps, freestanding, etc.
BusinessType (corp., franchise, jv):
Size Req’d: 2400 to 3200 sq.ft.
Special Requirements (patio, drive-thru, etc): Minimum 30 ft. frontage, High exposure, Minimum 40,000 population within five miles, $35,000 median household area, well-defined commercial area, strong employment base.
Contact Name: Sean F.D. Collins – CEO, Partner
Dave Rutter – President, Partner
Terry Jennings – Director, Franchise Development
REAL ESTATE REPRESENTATIVES:
FRANCHISE REPRESENTATIVES:
PARENT COMPANY: Costa Vida, Lehi, Utah
Related Chains:
Last Report: Restaurant & QSR Expansion Report #116 Last Update:
NOTES, NAMES & NUMBERS: