"When you think of Utah, Mexican food probably isn't the first menu option that comes to mind. But one Mexican restaurant chain began its journey in St. George and has since grown to more than 160 restaurants across 11 states, including California, Washington, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, and Colorado. Cafe Rio Mexican Grill opened in 1997 when founders Steve and Patricia Stanley wanted to bring their take on Northern Mexican and Tex-Mex flavors to southern Utah. Little did they know how big it would become."
"Nilsen would buy the chain from its original owners, multiplying it to over 100 individual restaurants before selling the chain in 2017. The secret to Cafe Rio's success? Keeping the founders' "fresh food, made fresh" ethos. You won't see any freezers or microwaves in these kitchens, and so it's no wonder that the chain now has major hubs in areas such as Salt Lake City, Phoenix, and much of Southern California."
Cafe Rio Mexican Grill launched in St. George, Utah in 1997 to offer Northern Mexican and Tex‑Mex flavors. Rapid early growth brought six locations by 2004, after which Bob Nilsen purchased and expanded the concept to over 100 restaurants before selling in 2017. The brand centers on a "fresh food, made fresh" ethos with no freezers or microwaves in kitchens, and maintains handmade tortillas and scratch-made items such as guacamole, queso, and signature Sweet Pork Barbacoa. Leadership later included Steve Vaughan, a former Sonic executive, while the chain now operates more than 160 restaurants across 11 states.
Read at Tasting Table
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]