Costa Vida, Fresh Mexican Grill

What Costa Vida, Fresh Mexican Grill does

Costa Vida, Fresh Mexican Grill is a privately held fast-casual Mexican restaurant chain founded in 2003 in Layton, Utah by Kenny Prestwich and JD Gardner, now operating 94 franchise and company-owned locations across 15 U.S. states with a heavy concentration in the western United States (52 of 94 units in Utah). The company is controlled by Co-CEOs Sean Collins and Dave Rutter, who began as first franchisees in 2003 and acquired a controlling interest by 2008, with Wade Allen serving as President. Its core product is made-from-scratch Mexican cuisine featuring hand-rolled tortillas prepared in front of customers, 24-hour slow-crafted Sweet Pork, proprietary sauces, and customizable proteins and bowls across burritos, tacos, enchiladas, salads, nachos, quesadillas, and Baja Bowls.

Costa Vida generates revenue primarily through restaurant food and beverage sales across dine-in, takeout, and delivery channels, supplemented by catering services for events of 20+ adults (salad bars, taco bars, burrito boxes, Baja bowl bars) and ancillary gift card and Surf Shop merchandise sales. Distribution runs through its own restaurant footprint, direct online ordering via order.costavida.com, native iOS and Android apps, and third-party delivery where available. Customer engagement is supported by the Costa Club loyalty program, powered by Spendgo, which awards one point per dollar spent and delivers email/SMS marketing, a $5 new-member welcome reward, and a birthday free dessert. The company markets through owned social channels (Instagram, Facebook, X, TikTok), community sponsorships including the Ken Garff Road to Success children's reading program, and an annual 9/11 first-responder appreciation initiative.

The business operates as Costa Vida Management, LLC, a Utah-domiciled franchise restaurant chain with no disclosed institutional investment, no public listing, and no parent company. Its technology stack is non-proprietary: the Punchh-based mobile app, Spendgo loyalty integration, and Coca-Cola beverage partnership are all third-party relationships. Recent strategic activity focuses on geographic expansion — a Palm Harbor, Florida opening (June 2026) representing the chain's first Southeast entry, an Eagle Mountain, Utah opening (July 2026), and a tenant commitment at Vestar's Laveen Towne Center in metro Phoenix with groundbreaking in fall 2026.

Name

Costa Vida, Fresh Mexican Grill

Legal name

Costa Vida Management, LLC

Website

https://costavida.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Costa Vida is a privately held fast-casual Mexican restaurant chain operating 94 franchise and company-owned locations across 15 U.S. states, serving individual consumers, families, and catering customers with made-from-scratch burritos, tacos, and bowls under the leadership of Co-CEOs Sean Collins and Dave Rutter.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fast-Casual Mexican Restaurant

NAICS

Limited-Service Restaurants (722513)

SIC

Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Mexican & Tex-Mex Fast Casual (THAFABAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Mexican/Latin QSR (Tacos, Burritos, Bowls) (THAFAAAE)

Keywords

• Fast casual dining
• Mexican restaurant chain
• Restaurant franchise operations
• Food catering services
• Customer loyalty programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Lehi

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Restaurant Food and Beverage Sales: Core revenue from dine-in, takeout, and delivery sales of freshly prepared Mexican fast-casual menu items including burritos, tacos, enchiladas, salads, nachos, and beverages.
2. Catering Services: Catering bar packages for events including salad bars, taco bars, burrito boxes, and Baja bowl bars. Delivery available for a fee of $1 per person for orders of 70+ people.
3. Loyalty Program and Gift Cards: Costa Club rewards program earning 1 point per dollar spent, redeemable for free food and merchandise. Gift card sales through costavidagiftcards.com.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Costa Vida operates a fast-casual Mexican restaurant chain offering made-from-scratch cuisine including burritos, tacos, enchiladas, salads, nachos, quesadillas, and Baja Bowls, with hand-rolled tortillas prepared fresh in front of customers. The company serves customers through 94 company-owned and franchise locations across 14 U.S. states, supplemented by catering services, online and mobile ordering, a customer loyalty program, and gift cards.

Product overview

Costa Vida Fresh Mexican Grill is a fast-casual Mexican restaurant chain with 94 locations across 15 U.S. states since its founding in 2003. The company's core offering is made-from-scratch fresh Mexican cuisine featuring hand-rolled tortillas, slow-crafted proteins (Sweet Pork, Barbacoa Beef, Grilled Chicken, Grilled Steak), and house-made salsas and sauces. The product portfolio includes the restaurant dining experience as the primary offering, complemented by the Costa Club loyalty program (powered by Spendgo), a mobile app for iOS and Android enabling online ordering and loyalty point tracking, catering services for events with customizable bars, and gift cards with branded merchandise through the Surf Shop.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Costa Vida Restaurant Dining Fast-casual Mexican dining experience featuring made-from-scratch cuisine including burritos, tacos, enchiladas, salads, nachos, quesadillas, and Baja Bowls, with hand-rolled tortillas prepared fresh in front of customers and signature proteins including 24-hour slow-crafted Sweet Pork, Barbacoa Beef, Grilled Chicken, and Grilled Steak.
• Costa Club Loyalty Program Rewards program allowing customers to earn 1 point per dollar spent and redeem points for free food, drinks, and merchandise. Includes birthday free dessert, $5 welcome reward for new signups, and exclusive member-only offers. Operated via the Spendgo platform with mobile app integration.
• Costa Vida Mobile App Mobile application for iOS and Android enabling online ordering for pickup or delivery, in-store QR code scanning for loyalty points, order tracking, and rewards status management. Available on Apple App Store and Google Play.
• Costa Vida Catering Catering service for events of 20-plus adults offering customizable bar formats including Feel-Good Salad Bar, Top-Shelf Taco Bar, Handheld Burrito Box, and Light and Fresh Baja Bowl Bar, with delivery available at $1 per person for orders of 70-plus people.
• Costa Vida Gift Cards Gift card program allowing customers to purchase and send digital or physical gift cards for use at any Costa Vida location, alongside branded merchandise sold through the Costa Vida Surf Shop.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• First Responder OrganizationsminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 11 September 2025Annual appreciation initiative offering free Sweet Pork Burritos to police officers, firefighters, and paramedics on September 11th as recognition for service and sacrifice.
• Ken Garff (Road to Success Program)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsorship partnership with Ken Garff's Road to Success children's reading program, demonstrating community commitment and brand values alignment with literacy and education.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Del Taco: QSR Mexican chain offering tacos, burritos, and American items at lower price points than fast-casual. Competes with Costa Vida for value-oriented Mexican food occasions and lower-frequency customer segments.
• Cafe Rio Fresh Modern Mexican: Utah-based fast-casual Mexican chain with scratch-made tortillas, similar menu (burritos, tacos, salads, enchiladas), and overlapping core market. Among the most head-to-head direct competitors for Costa Vida in its home region.
• Rubio's Coastal Grill: Fast-casual chain specializing in Baja-style Mexican food (fish tacos, burritos). Directly comparable menu approach and fresh-ingredient positioning to Costa Vida.
• Qdoba Mexican Eats: National fast-casual Mexican chain offering burritos, tacos, salads, and bowls. Closest direct comparable to Costa Vida in concept, menu, and price point, with similar franchise footprint approach.
• Baja Fresh Mexican Grill: Fast-casual Mexican chain emphasizing fresh, fire-grilled menu items. Comparable to Costa Vida in positioning around made-to-order fresh Mexican food and customization options.
• Panchero's Mexican Grill: Mid-sized fast-casual Mexican franchise similar in scale and operating model to Costa Vida. Directly comparable for unit economics and franchise-led growth benchmarking.
• Moe's Southwest Grill: Fast-casual Mexican chain owned by Restaurant Brands International. Competes directly with Costa Vida on burritos, tacos, queso-led menu, and value-positioned family dining experience.

Broad incumbents

• Taco Bell: Largest Mexican-themed QSR in the U.S. with thousands of locations and aggressive value pricing. Sets the floor on price competition and digital ordering expectations for all Mexican-format restaurants including Costa Vida.
• Chipotle Mexican Grill: The dominant fast-casual Mexican restaurant chain in the U.S. with thousands of locations. Directly comparable to Costa Vida in menu structure (burritos, bowls, tacos) and customer demographic, but operates at vastly greater scale and brand recognition.

Emerging players

• Fuzzy's Taco Shop: Emerging fast-casual Baja-style taco franchise with growing footprint. Represents the next tier of competitive entrants expanding into regional markets similar to Costa Vida's target expansion geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/costavida
• Facebookfacebook.com/costavidafreshmex
• Instagraminstagram.com/costavida
• TikToktiktok.com/@costavidafreshmex
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/costa-vida

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Costa Vida, Fresh Mexican Grill