El Cholo
El Cholo is a family-owned Mexican restaurant group founded in 1923, operating seven El Cholo locations across Southern California and Salt Lake City plus two sister restaurants (The Cannery seafood, Louie's by the Bay), serving traditional Mexican cuisine via dine-in, take-out, and catering.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1923
- HeadquartersNewport Beach, United States
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What El Cholo does
El Cholo is a family-owned Mexican restaurant operator founded in 1923 in Los Angeles, currently operated by Ron Salisbury (grandson of founders George and Aurelia Salisbury) and his son Brendon, representing six generations of family involvement. The core business is a chain of 7 full-service El Cholo Mexican restaurants across Southern California (Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Downtown LA, La Habra, Anaheim Hills, Corona Del Mar) and one out-of-state unit in Salt Lake City, complemented by two wholly-owned sister restaurants under the 1923 Restaurant Group: The Cannery Seafood of the Pacific (Newport Harbor fine dining seafood, opened 2002) and Louie's by the Bay Pasta & Carne (Newport Harbor Italian steakhouse, opened 2019). The menu centers on traditional Mexican fare — enchiladas, nachos, tacos, fajitas, combination plates, and the signature El Cholo Margarita (1967) — priced $3.95 to $36.75, with daily lunch specials until 4PM, full take-out service, and an "Award-Winning Catering" operation offering party trays ($350 for 20) and event space for up to 150 guests at Salt Lake City.
Revenue mechanics are straightforward dine-in transaction fees supplemented by take-out and catering, with no franchise model and no enterprise contracts; distribution is purely company-operated physical storefronts, with a supporting layer of Toast Tab online reservations, a UserWay accessibility integration on the website, and organic social media presence (@elcholo1923 on Facebook and Instagram). The company has historically eschewed debt ("never going into debt for any reason" per founder George Salisbury) and remains entirely family-owned with no external capital, no app, and no public APIs. Customer segments are predominantly individual consumers and families, plus event/group catering customers in mid-market and SMB categories.
El Cholo firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- El Cholo
- Website
- https://elcholo.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1923
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- El Cholo is a family-owned Mexican restaurant group founded in 1923, operating seven El Cholo locations across Southern California and Salt Lake City plus two sister restaurants (The Cannery seafood, Louie's by the Bay), serving traditional Mexican cuisine via dine-in, take-out, and catering.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
El Cholo industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Mexican Restaurants
- NAICS
- Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Special Food Services (7223)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Ethnic & Regional Cuisine Restaurants (THAFACAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Mexican/Latin QSR (Tacos, Burritos, Bowls) (THAFAAAE)
Keywords
Where El Cholo is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Newport Beach
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices9 records
Markets served
El Cholo business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Dine-in food and beverage sales: Traditional restaurant revenue from serving food and drinks to dine-in customers across 8 locations in California and Utah. Menu includes appetizers, entrees, margaritas, and specialty dishes with price points ranging from $3.95 to $36.75.
- Take-out and to-go orders: Take-out service including individual plates and party trays for events. Party trays for 20 people priced at $350.
- Catering and private events: Catering services including combination dinners for groups, appetizer and entree trays, with event coordination for Salt Lake City and other locations.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Regular menu items |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Lunch Specials (Until 4PM) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Margaritas |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Catering - Combination Dinner for 20 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Kids Menu |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
El Cholo product offering
Product offeringCore offering
El Cholo operates traditional Mexican restaurants serving authentic Mexican cuisine including enchiladas, tacos, nachos, fajitas, combination plates, and signature margaritas. The business generates revenue through dine-in service, take-out orders, catering for events, and daily lunch specials across 7 El Cholo locations in Southern California and Utah, complemented by two sister restaurants (The Cannery Seafood and Louie's by the Bay) under the same family ownership.
Product overview
El Cholo is a family-owned Mexican restaurant chain operating 7 locations across Southern California and Salt Lake City since 1923. The core offering is traditional Mexican cuisine including enchiladas, tacos, nachos, fajitas, and margaritas. The restaurant group also operates two sister establishments: The Cannery Seafood of the Pacific (fine dining seafood) and Louie's by the Bay (Italian steakhouse). Additional services include catering for events, take-out orders, daily lunch specials, and an extensive margarita program featuring premium tequilas.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- El Cholo Mexican Restaurant LA's first Mexican restaurant since 1923, offering traditional Mexican cuisine including enchiladas, tacos, nachos, fajitas, and margaritas across 7 family-owned locations in Southern California and Utah.
- The Cannery Seafood of the Pacific Fine dining seafood restaurant founded in 2002, situated in a historic 1921 fish cannery building on Newport Harbor featuring a 225-foot dock, two-story layout with fine dining downstairs and sushi bar upstairs.
- Louie's by the Bay Pasta & Carne Traditional Italian steakhouse opened in January 2019, named to honor WWII hero Louis Zamperini (Ron Salisbury's childhood babysitter), offering upscale steaks and pasta with views of Newport Harbor.
- El Cholo Catering & Event Services Award-winning catering service offering party trays, combination dinners for groups (including a fixed $350 Combination Dinner for 20 people), appetizer and entree trays for events, and event space coordination for groups of varying sizes.
- El Cholo Take-Out
Quantifiable outcome
- Raised $1,000,000 for children's cancer research during 100th anniversary
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use El Cholo
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
El Cholo technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
El Cholo partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Louie's by the Bay Pasta & CarnecoreOpened January 2019 in Newport Harbor. Named to honor Louie Zamperini (WWII hero, Ron Salisbury's babysitter and lifelong friend). Traditional Italian steakhouse with stunning harbor views.
- The Cannery Seafood of the PacificcoreEl Cholo family opened The Cannery in 2002 in a historic 1921 fish cannery building on Newport Harbor. Features fine dining downstairs and sushi restaurant upstairs, with a 225-foot dock for boat access. Hosts annual charity dinners featuring baseball greats like Nolan Ryan, Pete Rose, and Tom Seaver.
- Jose Cuervo 1800 TequilacoreEl Cholo became the world's largest user of Jose Cuervo 1800 Tequila and was the first restaurant to introduce premium ingredients in a margarita (1967). This partnership has continued for over 55 years.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves14 records
Expansion highlights4 records
El Cholo competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Casa Vega: Family-owned LA Mexican restaurant (est. 1956) with similar full-service sit-down model, comparable heritage positioning, and a single-location-plus footprint. Operates in the same Sherman Oaks/SoCal Mexican casual-dining segment El Cholo competes in.
- El Tepeyac Cafe: Iconic Boyle Heights Mexican institution whose burrito (cited as inspiration for El Cholo's Burrito Dorado in 1977) makes it a direct heritage peer. Same full-service ethnic Mexican category, same owner-operator vibe, same LA market.
- Border Grill: LA-based modern Mexican restaurant by chefs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, sharing California's full-service Mexican category with celebrity-chef PR positioning. Competes for the same premium-casual dining occasion in LA.
- El Coyote Mexican Cafe: Long-standing LA Mexican restaurant (founded 1931) with a multi-decade family-operating legacy, mirroring El Cholo's historic SoCal full-service Mexican positioning and traditional menu profile.
Broad incumbents
- Rosa Mexicano: National upscale Mexican restaurant group with premium-casual positioning and a strong margarita program. Comparable as a larger-scale brand competing for the same premium Mexican dining occasion at higher price points than El Cholo.
- Chevys Fresh Mex: Established national Mexican casual-dining chain with similar sit-down full-service format. Provides comparison points on multi-unit operations, scale economics, and brand-franchise distribution model El Cholo could expand into.
- On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina: National Tex-Mex casual-dining chain and direct full-service Mexican competitor. Useful benchmark on how a scaled Mexican group manages operations, supply chain, and beverage-driven mix strategy at higher unit counts.
- Pink Taco: Multi-unit Mexican casual-dining chain with celebrity-tied Vegas/LA origins and a recognizable brand hook. Comparable on full-service format and beverage-led differentiation.
Emerging players
- Gracias Madre: LA-based plant-based Mexican restaurant group with a single flagship and growing brand awareness. Targets overlapping premium-casual Mexican guests with a modernized concept, representing a younger/different demographic adjacency.
- Tocaya Organica: Modern LA-born fast-casual Mexican concept with multiple SoCal units. While faster and cheaper than El Cholo, it competes for the same Mexican-cuisine dining occasions and demonstrates how the SoCal Mexican category is rapidly unitizing.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
El Cholo social profiles
Digital presenceEl Cholo financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
El Cholo leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
El Cholo subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
El Cholo funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
El Cholo 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 Cholo
What does El Cholo do?
El Cholo operates traditional Mexican restaurants serving authentic Mexican cuisine including enchiladas, tacos, nachos, fajitas, combination plates, and signature margaritas. The business generates revenue through dine-in service, take-out orders, catering for events, and daily lunch specials across 7 El Cholo locations in Southern California and Utah, complemented by two sister restaurants (The Cannery Seafood and Louie's by the Bay) under the same family ownership.
Is El Cholo a public or private company?
El Cholo is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was El Cholo founded?
El Cholo was founded in 1923. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is El Cholo based?
El Cholo is headquartered in Newport Beach, United States, in the North America region.
How does El Cholo make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Dine-in food and beverage sales are the primary driver. The others are take-out and to-go orders and catering and private events.
Who are El Cholo's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Casa Vega, El Tepeyac Cafe, Border Grill and El Coyote Mexican Cafe. Broad incumbents are Rosa Mexicano, Chevys Fresh Mex, On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina and Pink Taco. Emerging players are Gracias Madre and Tocaya Organica.
Does El Cholo have an API?
No public API is recorded for El Cholo.
What industry is El Cholo in?
El Cholo's product category is Mexican Restaurants. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFACAD, Ethnic & Regional Cuisine Restaurants, with a secondary code of THAFAAAE, Mexican/Latin QSR (Tacos, Burritos, Bowls). Its NAICS code is 722511 and its SIC code is 5810.