This helped the new leadership team uncover and articulate the brand’s key elements and strengths. Taking the customer feedback to heart, the chain hired a design firm, Push, and began conducting brand explorations. It really did highlight the need for change.” They said while they loved the playfulness, it felt more like a restaurant they would have visited when in college as opposed to a place they might go today. We did a number of focus groups - the majority in our major markets - and what we heard from consumers was that the brand had not evolved with time. “If you look at the original design, it had anything from superheroes to cartoons to monsters painted into the murals of the restaurants. While that’s a core part of the brand, he felt the expression of that personality had grown stale. Tijuana Flats’ leadership - many of whom were brought on board by Wright - reviewed its operations, franchise support program and, of course, the restaurant’s look and feel.Īccording to Wright, Tijuana Flats had long cultivated a fun and slightly irreverent personality. That meant looking at the business from top to bottom. One of Wright’s goals was to revive the chain’s franchise program. Only around 20 locations were franchised, and the brand hadn’t opened any new franchise restaurants since around 2007. While the company’s corporate store openings have been ongoing, its franchise sales had been put on ice. This menu-focused approach and elevated service model combined to help Tijuana Flats hit 125 locations, primarily in the chain’s home state of Florida. After ordering, customers find a seat and table runners bring them food, drinks and refills.

Guests order at a POS counter from a broad menu that includes tacos, burritos, chimichangas, nachos, wings and more.

Tijuana Flats operates on what Wright calls a “fast casual-plus” model. That was one issue facing Brian Wright in the Summer of 2019 when he became CEO of Tijuana Flats. That goes for restaurant design as much as for anything else. What’s fun and edgy today feels dated tomorrow. Images courtesy of Tijuana FlatsThis Tex-Mex chain is keeping its irreverent feel with a redesign aimed at franchising. This Indiana location’s mural shows tacos growing from corn stalks. A localized mural is a key design element in each store.

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