El Torito
El Torito is a full-service Mexican restaurant chain operating 23 California locations under Xperience Restaurant Group, serving individual diners, families, private-event hosts, and catering customers through dine-in, online ordering, catering, and a loyalty program.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1954
- HeadquartersPalmdale, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What El Torito does
El Torito is a full-service Mexican restaurant chain operating 23 locations across California. Founded in 1954 by Larry Cano, the brand is credited in company materials with popularizing frozen margaritas, tableside guacamole, sizzling fajita platters, and Taco Tuesday in American Mexican dining. It serves individual diners and families through dine-in service and additionally addresses private-event hosts, corporate catering customers (events from 10 to 10,000 guests), and schools/organizations running fundraisers. El Torito operates as a single brand within the Xperience Restaurant Group (XRG) portfolio, which also includes Chevys Fresh Mex, Acapulco, Las Brisas, El Torito Grill, Sinigual, Who Song & Larry's, Sol Mexican Cocina, and Solita Tacos; XRG is owned by private equity firm Z Capital Group, LLC (ZCG), with corporate headquarters in Cypress, California.
The core product is cantina-style Mexican restaurant dining built around signature tableside preparations. Supporting offerings include the Xperience Rewards loyalty program (10 chips per dollar spent, free guacamole for enrolling, free birthday entrée), off-site catering (including a food truck), private-event venue bookings, e-gift cards, a Saturday breakfast menu, an all-you-can-eat Sunday brunch, and a school fundraiser program returning 20% of sales. The technology stack is standard and third-party sourced: conventional restaurant POS systems and an Olo-based online ordering platform (eltorito.olo.com and eltoritocatering.olo.com); there are no proprietary technical features or public API.
Revenue is generated entirely through transaction-based food and beverage sales across dine-in, online ordering/takeout/delivery, catering, private events, and gift cards, with branded merchandise sold via a Threadless storefront. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer, anchored on physical restaurant locations and promoted through the website, email (eClub), social media (@ElToritoRestaurants), the loyalty program, and recurring daily specials (Happy Hour, Taco Tuesday, Margarita Mondays, Sunday Brunch). Menu pricing is unit-based and pay-as-you-go, with entrées roughly $15–$32 and family-style fajitas at $82.
El Torito firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- El Torito
- Legal name
- XPERIENCE RESTAURANT GROUP
- Website
- https://eltorito.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1954
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- El Torito is a full-service Mexican restaurant chain operating 23 California locations under Xperience Restaurant Group, serving individual diners, families, private-event hosts, and catering customers through dine-in, online ordering, catering, and a loyalty program.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
El Torito industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Casual Dining Restaurants
- NAICS
- Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Restaurants and Other Eating Places (72251)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Mexican & Tex-Mex Fast Casual (THAFABAC)
Keywords
Where El Torito is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Palmdale
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices26 records
Markets served
El Torito business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Dine-in Restaurant Sales: Traditional table-service restaurant revenue from food and beverage sales during dine-in service
- Online Ordering and Takeout: Online ordering platform for takeout and delivery orders
- Catering Services: Off-site catering for events from 10 to 10,000 guests, ordered via phone or online
- Gift Cards: E-gift cards sold to customers for use at restaurant locations
- Private Events: Booking of private rooms, patios, and semi-private dining areas for celebrations and meetings
- Merchandise: Branded merchandise sold through Threadless online store
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Flame-Grilled Fajitas - $22 to $32 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Enchiladas - $15 to $19 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Tacos and Burritos - $17.50 to $21.25 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Sunday Brunch - All-You-Can-Eat |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Happy Hour Specials - $4 starting |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Taco Tuesday - $3 Tacos |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Margarita Mondays - $2.99 |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
El Torito product offering
Product offeringCore offering
El Torito operates a chain of full-service Mexican restaurants across California, serving authentic Mexican cuisine with signature tableside preparations including made-to-order guacamole and flame-grilled fajitas. The chain also offers catering, private event hosting, gift cards, online ordering for takeout and delivery, and a customer loyalty program.
Product overview
El Torito is a single-brand Mexican restaurant chain operating as a unified dining concept. The core offering is authentic Mexican restaurant dining with signature tableside preparations (guacamole, fajitas) and cantina-style service. Supporting the core restaurant are: Xperience Rewards loyalty program, catering services, private event venues, gift cards, online ordering/takeout/delivery, Saturday Breakfast, and Sunday Brunch menu offerings. The company operates 22+ locations primarily in California.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Companies that use El Torito
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
El Torito technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
El Torito partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Xperience Restaurant GroupcoreEl Torito is owned and operated by Xperience Restaurant Group (XRG), which also owns other Mexican restaurant brands including Chevys Fresh Mex, Acapulco, Las Brisas, El Torito Grill, Sinigual, Who Song & Larry's, Sol Mexican Cocina, Solita Tacos, Cal Mex Cantina, RIO MAMBO, and THE RIM.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
El Torito competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Chevys Fresh Mex: Operated by the same parent (Xperience Restaurant Group / Z Capital Group), Chevys Fresh Mex is a sister concept offering comparable Mexican casual dining with a similar menu, price point, and California footprint. Direct overlap in target customers and operating model makes this the closest comparable.
- El Torito Grill: A slightly more upscale sister concept under Xperience Restaurant Group, El Torito Grill offers contemporary Mexican cuisine in California. Same parent ownership and overlapping guest base make this a near-direct peer within the portfolio.
- Acapulco Mexican Restaurant: Long-standing California Mexican casual dining chain under Xperience Restaurant Group, with overlapping menu, daypart, and demographic positioning. Direct intra-portfolio competitor for the same customer occasions.
- Sol Mexican Cocina: XRG sister concept positioned as a modern, elevated Mexican dining experience in California. Targets overlapping customer occasions (family meals, private events) with a slightly more contemporary format, creating direct intra-portfolio overlap.
- Solita Tacos: XRG sister concept with a fast-casual Mexican taco focus, overlapping with El Torito's taco and burrito menu category at a lower price point. Direct intra-portfolio competitor for casual Mexican occasions.
- Las Brisas: XRG sister Mexican restaurant brand with California locations, offering similar full-service Mexican dining experiences and competing for overlapping customer occasions and events.
- Rubio's Coastal Grill: California-based Mexican coastal cuisine chain with ~100 locations, primarily in California. Directly comparable in geography, price point, and casual Mexican dining category, though Rubio's leans coastal Baja-style.
Broad incumbents
- Chipotle Mexican Grill: National fast-casual Mexican giant with strong California penetration. Competes for the same Mexican food occasions at a lower price point and faster format, creating a structural traffic headwind for full-service Mexican operators like El Torito.
- Del Taco: California-headquartered Mexican QSR chain with significant California footprint. Competes for value-oriented Mexican occasions and has historically been a same-state competitor with overlap in daypart promotions (Taco Tuesday etc.).
- California Pizza Kitchen: Comparable California-based casual dining chain with a similar full-service, multi-channel (dine-in, catering, private events) operating model. Useful comparable for the casual dining format and California real estate dynamics, though not Mexican cuisine.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
El Torito social profiles
Digital presenceEl Torito financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
El Torito leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
El Torito funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
El Torito M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about El Torito
What does El Torito do?
El Torito operates a chain of full-service Mexican restaurants across California, serving authentic Mexican cuisine with signature tableside preparations including made-to-order guacamole and flame-grilled fajitas. The chain also offers catering, private event hosting, gift cards, online ordering for takeout and delivery, and a customer loyalty program.
Is El Torito a public or private company?
El Torito is a private company. It is classified as private equity controlled and is currently operating.
When was El Torito founded?
El Torito was founded in 1954. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is El Torito based?
El Torito is headquartered in Palmdale, United States, in the North America region.
How does El Torito make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Dine-in Restaurant Sales are the primary driver. The others are online Ordering and Takeout, catering Services, gift Cards, private Events and merchandise.
Who are El Torito's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Chevys Fresh Mex, El Torito Grill, Acapulco Mexican Restaurant, Sol Mexican Cocina, Solita Tacos, Las Brisas and Rubio's Coastal Grill. Broad incumbents are Chipotle Mexican Grill, Del Taco and California Pizza Kitchen.
Does El Torito have an API?
No public API is recorded for El Torito.
What industry is El Torito in?
El Torito's product category is Casual Dining Restaurants. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFABAC, Mexican & Tex-Mex Fast Casual. Its NAICS code is 722511 and its SIC code is 5810.