El Pinto
El Pinto Restaurant & Cantina is a family-owned New Mexican cuisine restaurant in Albuquerque, founded in 1962, serving dine-in guests, weddings, corporate events, and nationwide retail customers with its in-house bottled salsas and sauces.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1962
- HeadquartersAlbuquerque, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What El Pinto does
El Pinto Restaurant & Cantina is a privately held, family-owned New Mexican cuisine restaurant and packaged food company founded in 1962 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Operated by founders Jack and Connie Thomas's twin sons Jim and John Thomas, the business runs a single full-service restaurant location in Albuquerque's North Valley at 10500 4th Street NW, complemented by an on-site Hen Hotel pasture-raised laying hen operation (240+ hens across 20,000 square feet), making it the first and only Animal Welfare Approved laying hen program on restaurant property in the United States. The core restaurant serves authentic New Mexican dishes derived from founder Josephina Chavez-Griggs's recipes, with a signature differentiation around hand-peeled flame-roasted green chiles and a tequila bar carrying 160+ premium 100% agave tequilas and 50+ mezcals.
The company's commercial footprint extends beyond dine-in through four additional revenue streams: full-service catering and bulk takeout (minimum 40 guests; per-person pricing from $25.95 weekday lunch buffets up to $94.95 for wedding receptions), private event buyouts (up to 150 guests), retail packaged food (salsas and sauces bottled in-house at the wholly owned El Pinto Co-Packing subsidiary and distributed nationwide through grocery retail and an online storefront), and electronic gift cards via Yiftee. A restaurant staff of approximately 109 employees operates the front-of-house, line/broiler cook, and server functions in addition to a factory production line (documented at $16.00/hour) for the co-packing operation.
The technology stack is entirely composed of third-party vendor integrations: OpenTable for reservations, EZ Texting for SMS marketing, Jupico for payment processing, Spillover for website/email marketing platform, and Yiftee for gift cards. There is no proprietary technology, no AI/ML capabilities, and no patents or trademarks disclosed. The go-to-market motion is hybrid — direct-to-consumer dine-in/takeout, sales-led banquet sales for weddings and corporate events, and wholesale/retail distribution for the packaged salsa/sauce line. El Pinto's brand equity is reinforced by external recognition including Food Network's #3 Ribs in America, Wall Street Journal's Best Nachos in America (2006), a White House Cinco de Mayo menu feature, Albuquerque the Magazine's Best New Mexican Restaurant designation, and consecutive Best Guacamole awards.
El Pinto firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- El Pinto
- Legal name
- El Pinto Restaurant & Cantina
- Website
- https://elpinto.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1962
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- El Pinto Restaurant & Cantina is a family-owned New Mexican cuisine restaurant in Albuquerque, founded in 1962, serving dine-in guests, weddings, corporate events, and nationwide retail customers with its in-house bottled salsas and sauces.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
El Pinto industry classification
Industry- Product category
- New Mexican Restaurant
- NAICS
- Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Caterers (722320), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224), Other Specialty Food Retailers (44529)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Food And Kindred Products (2000), Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Ethnic & Regional Cuisine Restaurants (THAFACAD)
Keywords
Where El Pinto is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Albuquerque
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
El Pinto business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Restaurant Dining: On-premise dining with full New Mexican cuisine menu, margaritas, and extensive tequila selection. Revenue from food and beverage sales.
- Catering Services: Full-service catering for weddings, corporate events, and private events. Includes on-site and off-site catering with food attendants, setup, and cleanup.
- Retail Products (Salsa & Sauces): Family-crafted salsa and sauce recipes sold in grocery stores nationwide and online. Bottled in-house through co-packaging company.
- Gift Cards: Electronic gift cards sold through Yiftee platform
- Private Events: Private dining, wedding receptions, and corporate events with buyout options
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Main Menu Items |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Catering Takeout |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Multi-year contract | Wedding Receptions |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Multi-year contract | Dinner Buffet Catering |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Multi-year contract | Holiday Dinner Banquets |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Multi-year contract | Private Weekday Lunch Buffet |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels6 records
El Pinto product offering
Product offeringCore offering
El Pinto Restaurant & Cantina operates a dine-in New Mexican cuisine restaurant in Albuquerque offering signature red and green chile dishes, premium dry-aged steaks, heritage pork, and a tequila bar with 160+ tequilas. The business also runs full-service off-site catering, wedding receptions, and private/corporate events, and sells jarred salsas and chile sauces bottled in-house through its own co-packaging company, distributed in grocery stores nationwide and via online retail.
Product overview
El Pinto Restaurant & Cantina operates as a traditional New Mexican cuisine restaurant in Albuquerque, New Mexico, established in 1962. The company offers dine-in restaurant services, a full catering division, and a retail line of jarred salsa and sauce products distributed nationally through its co-packing facility. The product portfolio includes the core restaurant with a renowned tequila bar featuring over 160 tequilas, catering and private event services (including wedding receptions), the Hen Hotel pasture-raised egg program, and packaged food products including salsas, sauces, and merchandise sold through the co-packing website.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- El Pinto Restaurant & Cantina (Dine-In Service)
- Catering Services
- Wedding Receptions and Ceremonies
- Private Events and Corporate Buyouts
- Tequila Bar
- El Pinto Salsa and Chile Sauce Retail Products
- Gift Cards
Quantifiable outcome
- Voted Best New Mexican Restaurant in Albuquerque - Albuquerque the Magazine 'Best of City' annual survey
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use El Pinto
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
El Pinto technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
Feature4 records
El Pinto partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- OpenTablecoreOpenTable provides table reservation software and platform for El Pinto's restaurant reservations. Privacy policy references OpenTable's separate privacy policy for reservation data.
- EZ TextingcoreThird-party SMS text messaging service used by El Pinto for mobile campaigns, promotional alerts, and customer communications. TCPA compliant platform.
- SpillovercoreWebsite platform provider powering El Pinto's website, reservation system, online ordering, and email marketing services.
- JupicocorePayment processor handling credit card transactions. Financial information is tokenized and stored securely through Jupico's systems.
- YifteeminorGift card platform allowing electronic gift card purchases and delivery for El Pinto restaurant.
- Kyzer FarmsminorLocal heritage pork supplier providing hormone and antibiotic free pork for restaurant dishes. Pork is humanely raised in South Valley of Albuquerque and never frozen.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
El Pinto competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Sadie's of New Mexico: Iconic Albuquerque-based New Mexican restaurant family also founded in the 1960s. Same cuisine category, same primary geography, and same dine-in plus catering/event operating model — making it the most directly comparable peer.
- Garcia's Kitchen: Family-run Albuquerque New Mexican restaurant group operating multiple dine-in locations plus catering. Direct overlap in cuisine, geography, family ownership profile, and full-service casual dining positioning.
- The Shed Restaurants: Long-established Santa Fe New Mexican restaurant with dine-in, catering, and a packaged salsa line sold in retail outlets. Closest peer in combining authentic New Mexican dining with branded retail CPG distribution.
- Tomasita's Restaurant: Albuquerque New Mexican restaurant with dine-in, catering, and event hosting. Comparable operating footprint, customer base, and event/wedding revenue stream to El Pinto.
- Frontier Restaurant: Long-standing Albuquerque New Mexican diner/restaurant adjacent to University of New Mexico. Comparable regional cuisine positioning, dine-in volume, and Albuquerque community brand.
- Bueno Foods: New Mexico-based family-owned manufacturer of red and green chile products, frozen burritos, and sauces sold in grocery nationwide. Most directly comparable packaged-food competitor in the New Mexican category.
- 505 Southwestern: New Mexico-based branded salsa and chile sauce company with national grocery distribution. Competes head-to-head with El Pinto's retail salsa/sauce SKUs on shelf and online.
- Range Café: New Mexican restaurant group with multiple New Mexico locations, full bar, and catering. Comparable in cuisine, family ownership, and event business model.
Regional players
- Pappas Restaurants: Large Texas-based family-owned full-service restaurant group with strong catering/private event capability. Comparable in family ownership structure and event-driven revenue mix, though cuisine portfolio is broader.
Broad incumbents
- Texas Roadhouse: Public casual-dining chain with steakhouse positioning, large event/catering programs, and proprietary food manufacturing. Broad benchmark for staffing, food cost, and event operating economics in full-service casual dining.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
El Pinto social profiles
Digital presenceEl Pinto compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
El Pinto financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
El Pinto leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
El Pinto subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
El Pinto funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
El Pinto 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 Pinto
What does El Pinto do?
El Pinto Restaurant & Cantina operates a dine-in New Mexican cuisine restaurant in Albuquerque offering signature red and green chile dishes, premium dry-aged steaks, heritage pork, and a tequila bar with 160+ tequilas. The business also runs full-service off-site catering, wedding receptions, and private/corporate events, and sells jarred salsas and chile sauces bottled in-house through its own co-packaging company, distributed in grocery stores nationwide and via online retail.
Is El Pinto a public or private company?
El Pinto is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was El Pinto founded?
El Pinto was founded in 1962. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is El Pinto based?
El Pinto is headquartered in Albuquerque, United States, in the North America region.
How does El Pinto make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Restaurant Dining is the primary driver. The others are catering Services, retail Products (Salsa & Sauces), gift Cards and private Events.
Who are El Pinto's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Sadie's of New Mexico, Garcia's Kitchen, The Shed Restaurants, Tomasita's Restaurant, Frontier Restaurant, Bueno Foods, 505 Southwestern and Range Café. Pappas Restaurants is listed as a regional player. Texas Roadhouse is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does El Pinto have an API?
No public API is recorded for El Pinto.
What industry is El Pinto in?
El Pinto's product category is New Mexican Restaurant. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFACAD, Ethnic & Regional Cuisine Restaurants. Its NAICS code is 722511 and its SIC code is 5810.