Café Mexicali^®

Food & Beverage • Year: 2025

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What Is Café Mexicali?

Café Mexicali is a fast-casual franchise offering Mexican-inspired food made primarily from fresh ingredients, including items such as Quesolle® rolled quesadillas, smothered burritos, breakfast burritos, salads, soups, soft tacos, nachos, desserts and drinks. Restaurants operate as counter-service, assembly-line style locations where customers order at the counter and interact with the menu as it is prepared. Some Restaurants may offer a selection of alcoholic beverages to complement menu items. Typical locations are end-cap spaces in retail strip or in-line shopping centers and other high-traffic urban and suburban sites, often near residential communities and office buildings, generally requiring approximately 3,500 to 4,000 square feet.

Café Mexicali Franchise: Pros and Cons

The franchise reports zero disclosed lawsuits, settlements, franchisee judgments, or government penalties, indicating a clean legal record compared with typical food & beverage systems. However, it has zero franchised units and a high Item 7 fee of $98,000–$182,000, so you'd be an early operator with limited peer data and higher upfront costs.

Pros

There are zero disclosed lawsuits, settlements, franchisee judgments, government penalties, franchisor enforcement actions, or fraud cases, indicating a clean legal and regulatory record-a favorable signal for your legal risk compared with typical food & beverage systems.

Managers are not required to hold equity, giving you the flexibility to structure manager compensation and ownership as you see fit rather than being forced into manager-equity arrangements.

Cons

There are zero franchised units, so the system is very early-stage; that makes it difficult to speak with existing or former franchisees during due diligence and means you would be among the first operators with limited peer data.

The Item 7 franchise fee is high-$98,000 minimum up to $182,000 maximum-which is well above what's typical in food & beverage and materially raises the upfront cost to acquire the franchise rights.

Lawsuits & Legal Risk

100

Excellent

Café Mexicali reported no material legal proceedings,

Territory Protection

43/100

NORMAL

Café Mexicali grants a site-specific, non-exclusive protected territory defined by a radius around the approved location in the Franchise or Development Agreement. Territory rights are contingent on meeting performance quotas; franchisor retains rights to sell via e-commerce/alternative channels and to develop additional nearby units.

Training & Support

80/100

NORMAL

The brand provides a robust 120-hour training curriculum designed to prepare four franchisee-designated staff members for launch. The program includes on-site launch support for operational readiness; travel and lodging, and any fees associated with on-site assistance, are the responsibility of the franchisee.

How Much Does It Cost to Open a Café Mexicali Franchise?

Opening a Café Mexicali franchise requires a total initial investment of $622,700 to $1,393,000, according to the 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document. This range covers the franchise fee, real estate, equipment, training, and initial working capital needed to launch and operate through the early months.

Minimum Investment

$622,700

Franchise Fee

Real Estate

Equipment & Assets

Reserves

Training

Other

Maximum Investment

$1,393,000

Minimum Investment Breakdown

Franchise Fee$98,000

Real Estate$270,200

Equipment & Assets$182,000

Reserves$31,000

Training$500

Other$41,000

Maximum Investment Breakdown

Franchise Fee$182,000

Real Estate$678,500

Equipment & Assets$357,000

Reserves$97,000

Training$1,500

Other$77,000

Investment Analysis

This investment analysis is coming soon. Have ideas for other analyses you'd like us to add? Get in touch.

The initial investment amounts shown are estimates only. Actual costs may vary based on location size, business model, and multi-unit ownership arrangements. We recommend reviewing the full Franchise Disclosure Document for complete details.

How Much Do Café Mexicali Franchise Owners Make?

Café Mexicali franchise locations reported average gross sales of $2,361,972 and median gross sales of $2,344,716 in 2025, based on financial performance data disclosed in Item 19 of the Franchise Disclosure Document.

Average Gross Sales:

$2,361,972

Median Gross Sales:

$2,344,716

High Gross Sales:

$3,424,493

Low Gross Sales:

$1,479,861

Sample Size:

Percent Attaining Average:

40.0%

Audit Status:

Unaudited

Franchise vs Corporate Performance: No franchised-unit financial performance is provided in Item 19, so the available evidence reflects affiliate/company-owned restaurants only, which show an average 2024 Total Income of about 2.36 million per unit across the five locations.

Performance Variability Analysis: There is substantial dispersion in 2024 Total Income across the five affiliate units (high 3424492.98, low 1479861.2), with only 2 of 5 units at or above the sample mean, indicating material variability in unit performance.

Data Scope and Limitations: The P&L data are unaudited and limited to five affiliate-owned restaurants (one partial-year), so results may not be representative of franchised outlets or future performance and should be used with caution.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Café Mexicali a good franchise to own?

Whether Café Mexicali is a good franchise depends on your goals, experience, and local market. Key factors from the 2025 FDD: Café Mexicali operates 5 locations, received a legal risk score of 100/100, a training and support score of 80/100. Financial performance data is disclosed in Item 19. Prospective franchisees should review the full Franchise Disclosure Document and consult with a franchise attorney before making any investment decision.

Is a Café Mexicali franchise worth the investment?

The value of a Café Mexicali franchise investment depends on factors such as location, operator experience, and market demand. The initial investment ranges from $622,700 to $1,393,000. Café Mexicali disclosed average gross sales of $2,361,972 in 2025. Franchise investments carry inherent risk, and prospective buyers should conduct thorough due diligence before committing capital.

How long does it take to break even with a Café Mexicali franchise?

Break-even timelines for Café Mexicali franchises are not disclosed in the 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document. Break-even periods vary significantly based on initial investment level, local market conditions, operating costs, and revenue ramp-up speed. Prospective franchisees should build a pro forma financial model using Item 7 cost estimates and, where available, Item 19 financial performance data from the FDD.

Is Café Mexicali a franchise or a corporate-owned business?

As of the 2025 FDD, Café Mexicali operates 0 franchised locations and 5 company-owned locations. Café Mexicali currently operates as a predominantly company-owned system, though franchise opportunities are being offered through the FDD.

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