What Ojos Locos does

Ojos Locos Sports Cantina is a privately held, Hispanic-focused sports bar and casual-dining chain operating 35 company-owned cantinas across 5 U.S. states. Founded in 2010 in Dallas, Texas by Rich Hicks and Todd Istre, the company was built to serve the Latino community with authentic Latin-inspired street tacos, scratch-made wings, quesabirria, hand-smashed burgers, fajitas, and churros alongside a full bar program featuring 29° draft beer, signature cocktails, rare tequilas, and the proprietary 100 oz. balón beer tower — a format the chain claims to have originated. Each location features wall-to-wall TV viewing of soccer, football, UFC, boxing, baseball, basketball, and hockey, with bilingual ("habla español") service by the branded "chicas coquetas" staff, positioning every seat as a premium sports-viewing position.

The core technology stack is operationally focused rather than differentiated: digital ordering via the order.online platform, the Paytronix-powered Más Rewards (also branded Loco Rewards) loyalty program with native iOS and Android apps launched in December 2025, and gift card fulfillment through myguestaccount.com. The chain operates an event-driven go-to-market motion anchored to major sports tournaments — most prominently the 2026 FIFA World Cup 'Casa de Fútbol' Check-In Challenge (June 11–July 19, 2026) — to drive repeat visitation through check-in bonuses, free items, and UFC ticket giveaways. Headcount of 501–1,000 employees supports the multi-unit operation, and the company relocated its corporate headquarters to a roughly 75,000 sq ft footprint at R&D at Legacy in Plano, Texas in February 2026.

Revenue is generated almost entirely through in-restaurant and online food and beverage sales (dine-in, takeout, delivery), supplemented by digital and physical gift card purchases. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and varies by location. The chain is founder-led, with co-founders Hicks and Istre retaining ownership, and in June 2026 hired former Twin Peaks chief Joe Hummel as CEO. A $40 million debt facility from Comvest Credit Partners in November 2018 is the only disclosed capital event; there is no franchising, no licensing, and no disclosed institutional equity investment.

Name

Ojos Locos

Legal name

Ojos Locos Sports Cantina

Website

https://ojoslocos.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Ojos Locos Sports Cantina is a privately held, Hispanic-focused sports bar chain operating 35 company-owned locations across 5 U.S. states, serving the Latino community and sports fans with Latin-inspired food, draft beer, signature cocktails, wall-to-wall TV sports viewing, and a recently launched Más Rewards loyalty program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Casual Dining Sports Bar

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (72241)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Neighborhood & Sports Bars (THAFAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sports Bars (CRANACAC)

Keywords

• Hispanic sports bar
• Latin-inspired cuisine
• Sports cantina chain
• Restaurant loyalty program
• Bilingual casual dining

Headquarters

HQ city

Plano

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Restaurant Food and Beverage Sales: Ojos Locos generates revenue through in-restaurant sales of Latin-inspired food, draft beer (including the signature 100 oz. balón), cocktails, margaritas, and tequila. Customers can dine in, order online for delivery/takeout, or use the loyalty program for rewards.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Ojos Locos Sports Cantina operates a chain of 35 company-owned sports cantina restaurants across 5 US states, combining authentic Latin-inspired cuisine, full bar service featuring the proprietary 100 oz. balón draft beer, and a wall-to-wall TV sports viewing experience. Customers can dine in, order online for delivery or takeout, and participate in the Más Rewards / Loco Rewards loyalty program accessible via iOS and Android apps.

Product overview

Ojos Locos Sports Cantina operates 35 sports bar and cantina locations across 5 states as a single-brand restaurant chain. The company offers a unified product portfolio centered on sports viewing, Latin-inspired food, and beverages, supported by a loyalty program (Más Rewards/Loco Rewards), mobile applications for iOS and Android, online ordering capabilities, and gift card products. The core offering combines wall-to-wall TV sports coverage with authentic Mexican cuisine, 29° draft beer, and signature cocktails including the patented 100 oz balón beer tower.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Más Rewards / Loco Rewards Loyalty Program Digital loyalty program for Ojos Locos guests, offering bonus points, member-only deals, and event-based check-in challenges such as the World Cup 'Casa de Fútbol' Check-In Challenge. Accessible via iOS/Android mobile app and web sign-up.
• Ojos Locos Rewards Mobile App Native iOS and Android applications enabling loyalty program enrollment, points tracking, and mobile ordering for the 35 cantina locations.
• Online Ordering Platform Digital ordering channel available via ojoslocos.com and mobile apps, allowing guests to place orders for dine-in, takeout, or delivery across all 35 Ojos Locos cantinas.
• Gift Cards Digital and physical Ojos Locos gift cards redeemable at all locations, sold through the myguestaccount.com platform for gifting and promotional use.
• Wall-to-Wall TV Sports Viewing Experience Proprietary in-restaurant sports viewing experience featuring state-of-the-art wall-to-wall TVs broadcasting live sports all day, creating a 360° viewing environment where every seat is the best seat. Coverage spans soccer, football, UFC, boxing, baseball, basketball, hockey, and more across 35 locations.
• Latin-Inspired Food and Beverage Menu In-restaurant menu of Latin-inspired dishes including authentic street tacos, fresh-never-frozen wings, crispy quesabirria, hand-smashed burgers, sizzling fajitas, handmade churros, 29° draft beer, signature cocktails, margaritas, rare tequilas, and the signature 100 oz. balón beer tower.

Quantifiable outcome

• 35 locations across 5 states
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Twin Peaks: Multi-unit sports bar chain with a lodge-themed concept, wall-to-wall TV viewing, and a full bar/limited food menu. The most direct comparable — the two chains have even exchanged executive leadership with Joe Hummel moving from Twin Peaks CEO to Ojos Locos CEO in June 2026.
• Hooters: Iconic sports-themed casual dining chain with ~300+ company-owned and franchised units, full bar service, and a sports-viewing focus. Direct competitor for sports fans seeking a bar-centric casual dining experience, with broader demographic reach than Ojos Locos's Hispanic focus.
• BJ's Restaurant: Casual dining chain with deep sports-bar roots, full bar, handcrafted beer, and broad menu (~200 units). Directly comparable in format and target occasion (casual dine-in + sports viewing + alcohol-led revenue mix), with a wider menu and broader demographic appeal.
• On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina: Mexican-themed casual dining chain with full bar and margarita/cerveza focus. Comparable on Latin-cuisine offering, alcohol-led revenue, and bar-driven traffic, although with a more family-casual positioning and less sports-viewing specialization.

Broad incumbents

• Buffalo Wild Wings (Sports Illustrated Bar & Grill): Largest US sports bar chain with ~1,000+ units, wall-to-wall TV viewing, and a beer-and-wings core. Overlaps heavily on sports viewing, alcohol sales, and casual dining occasions, but with much broader demographic targeting and substantially larger marketing budget.
• Dave & Buster's: Eatertainment chain combining full bar and casual dining with arcade/sports-viewing experiences in ~140 large-format locations. Competes for sports-watching group outings and group dining occasions, though its core proposition (gaming) and price point are materially higher than Ojos Locos.
• Chili's Grill & Bar: Large US casual dining chain with full bar, Big Mouth burger value positioning, and extensive sports viewing at the bar. Competes for the same casual dine-in + alcohol occasion as Ojos Locos, with national scale and recent menu innovation around fajitas/margaritas that overlaps with the Latin-cuisine niche.

Regional players

• Glory Days Grill: Mid-Atlantic US regional sports bar chain (~20 units) with a sports-focused, family-friendly atmosphere. Comparable concept in a different geography — useful as a sizing and unit-economic reference for sub-50-unit sports bar operators.

Emerging players

• Wingstop: Wing-focused QSR with ~2,000+ units, sports-viewing-aligned menu, and a heavily franchised model. Not a direct sports bar peer, but competes for sports-occasion food occasions and demonstrates the unit-economics and growth playbook relevant to Ojos Locos's expansion path.
• Pluckers Wing Bar: Texas-based sports bar chain with ~30 locations, wall-to-wall TV viewing, beer and wings focus. Highly comparable in size, regional concentration (Texas), and sports-bar positioning — and the strongest direct footprint-overlap competitor in Ojos Locos's home market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ojoslocoschica

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ojos Locos