El Chico
El Chico is a privately held, Dallas-based Tex-Mex full-service restaurant chain operating approximately 11 dine-in locations across Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas, serving families and casual diners with traditional Mexican cuisine and supplementary catering, gift card, and loyalty programs under parent CRO, Inc.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1940
- HeadquartersDallas, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What El Chico does
El Chico is a privately held Tex-Mex full-service restaurant chain headquartered in Dallas, Texas, owned and operated by parent company Consolidated Restaurant Operations, Inc. (CRO, Inc.). The company operates approximately 11 restaurant locations across five states in the south-central United States: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas. Its business traces its culinary lineage to Adelaida Cuellar, who began selling tamales in Texas in the 1890s and opened a neighborhood restaurant in 1928, with the modern El Chico brand established in Dallas in 1940.
El Chico generates revenue primarily through dine-in restaurant transactions featuring a traditional Tex-Mex menu (fajitas, enchiladas, tacos, appetizers, full bar) priced individually from approximately $2.59 to $32.99, complemented by full-service and drop-off catering (priced $6.99-$15.99 per person), a cross-brand gift card program redeemable across multiple CRO, Inc. restaurant concepts, and an E-Club email / Mobile VIP SMS marketing program for repeat-visit frequency. The chain also exposes a formal franchise offering for future unit growth. Technology integrations are limited to standard restaurant-tech platforms — Toast Tab, SpotOn, Bento, and SkyTab for online ordering, ezCater for drop-off catering, and ReviewTrackers for customer-review management — with no proprietary technology stack, mobile app, or AI/ML capabilities.
The company serves three primary customer segments: individual consumers and families seeking casual Tex-Mex dining (primary), event hosts and organizations using catering services for corporate and private events, and lunchtime diners seeking value-priced lunch specials. Go-to-market is overwhelmingly direct-to-consumer through physical locations plus digital ordering, with a minor B2B catering motion via ezCater and CaterDallas. El Chico's competitive positioning is anchored on nearly 90 years of brand heritage and authentic family recipes rather than on technology, unit-count scale, or pricing differentiation.
El Chico firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- El Chico
- Legal name
- Consolidated Restaurant Operations, Inc.
- Website
- https://elchico.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1940
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- El Chico is a privately held, Dallas-based Tex-Mex full-service restaurant chain operating approximately 11 dine-in locations across Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas, serving families and casual diners with traditional Mexican cuisine and supplementary catering, gift card, and loyalty programs under parent CRO, Inc.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
El Chico industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Tex-Mex Casual Dining Restaurants
- NAICS
- Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Caterers (722320), Restaurants and Other Eating Places (72251)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Ethnic & Regional Cuisine Restaurants (THAFACAD)
Keywords
Where El Chico is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Dallas
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices12 records
Markets served
El Chico business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Dine-in Restaurant Sales: Full-service restaurant dining with Tex-Mex menu items including appetizers, entrees, desserts, and full bar service. Customers pay per item based on menu pricing.
- Catering Services: Full-service and drop-off catering for events including corporate gatherings, weddings, and family celebrations. Offers customized menus for events.
- Gift Cards: Gift cards sold at all locations and online, redeemable at El Chico and other CRO Inc. restaurants including Cantina Laredo, Luckys, Silver Fox, III Forks, Good Eats, and Cool River.
- E-Club/Mobile Club Membership: Email and SMS marketing club offering exclusive deals, special events, and chef's dinners to members.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Individual menu items priced from $2.59 to $32.99 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Catering pricing per person |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Tex Mex for Two package - 3 courses, 2 meals |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
El Chico product offering
Product offeringCore offering
El Chico operates full-service Tex-Mex restaurants serving traditional Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine (fajitas, enchiladas, tacos, burritos, appetizers) with full bar service at 11 locations across five U.S. states. The company also provides full-service and drop-off catering for events, sells gift cards usable across its CRO Inc. sister-brand portfolio, and operates an E-Club/Mobile VIP loyalty program for repeat customers.
Product overview
El Chico is a Tex-Mex restaurant chain operated by Consolidated Restaurant Operations (CRO, Inc.) that has been serving authentic Mexican food since 1940. The company operates as a single unified restaurant brand offering dine-in service at 12 locations across Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas. The product portfolio includes the core restaurant dining experience, catering services (both full-service and drop-off), gift cards, and the E-Club/Mobile VIP loyalty program. The restaurants offer a comprehensive menu of Tex-Mex classics including fajitas, enchiladas, tacos, burritos, and appetizers, along with a dedicated kids menu and family pack meal options.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- El Chico Restaurant Dine-In Experience Full-service Tex-Mex restaurant dining featuring traditional Mexican cuisine including fajitas, enchiladas, tacos, burritos, appetizers, a dedicated kids menu, and a full bar with premium margaritas and tequila. Targeted at individual consumers and families seeking casual sit-down dining in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas.
- El Chico Catering Full-service and drop-off catering for corporate gatherings, weddings, family celebrations, birthdays, baby showers, and community fundraisers with customizable menus including nacho bars and fajita packages priced per person.
- El Chico Gift Cards Gift cards sold at all El Chico locations and online, available in any amount with bulk discounts for gifting occasions; redeemable across El Chico and CRO Inc. sister-brand restaurants.
- E-Club / Mobile VIP Club Loyalty program offering free entrees, exclusive deals, special events, and chef's dinners delivered to members via email and SMS alerts (up to 6 messages per month).
Companies that use El Chico
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
El Chico technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration6 records
El Chico partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- CaterDallasminorCaterDallas provides catering services for El Chico restaurants, specifically linking to their catering services page at https://caterdallas.com/services/. This is a co-branded catering arrangement for event services.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
El Chico competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- On the Border Mexican Grill & Cantina: Casual full-service Tex-Mex chain (now ~60+ company and franchised units) competing in the same category, same cuisine, and similar family-dining use case as El Chico.
- Rosa's Cafe & Tortilla Factory: Texas/Oklahoma regional Tex-Mex casual chain with a similar made-from-scratch, family-friendly value proposition and overlapping geographic footprint.
- Cantina Laredo: Upscale Tex-Mex full-service concept owned by the same parent (Consolidated Restaurant Operations, Inc.), sharing gift-card, loyalty and corporate infrastructure with El Chico.
- Chevys Fresh Mex: Tex-Mex casual-dining chain (now under a smaller footprint) with a comparable south-of-the-border menu and family dining target customer.
- Uncle Julio's: Casual upscale Tex-Mex full-service restaurant chain with made-from-scratch positioning comparable to El Chico's traditional recipe heritage.
- Pappasito's Cantina: Houston-based Tex-Mex full-service chain owned by Pappas Restaurants with similar menu breadth, family dining focus, and Southwest regional concentration.
Regional players
- Taco Cabana: Texas-focused Tex-Mex chain with strong Dallas/San Antonio/Austin presence; competes on similar menu at a faster-service price point within El Chico's core market.
Emerging players
- Fuzzy's Taco Shop: Texas-originated casual Tex-Mex taco shop with growing national franchise footprint; competes in the same Southwest/South corridor as El Chico.
- Torchy's Tacos: Fast-growing Tex-Mex taco concept blending fast-casual speed with chef-driven menus; competes for the same Tex-Mex craving occasions from a younger digital-native cohort.
Broad incumbents
- Chili's Grill & Bar (Brinker International): Large casual-dining chain (Brinker International) with a Tex-Mex heavy menu; broader portfolio but directly competitive for Tex-Mex casual-dining occasions and family visits.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
El Chico social profiles
Digital presenceEl Chico financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
El Chico leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
El Chico funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
El Chico 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 Chico
What does El Chico do?
El Chico operates full-service Tex-Mex restaurants serving traditional Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine (fajitas, enchiladas, tacos, burritos, appetizers) with full bar service at 11 locations across five U.S. states. The company also provides full-service and drop-off catering for events, sells gift cards usable across its CRO Inc. sister-brand portfolio, and operates an E-Club/Mobile VIP loyalty program for repeat customers.
Is El Chico a public or private company?
El Chico is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was El Chico founded?
El Chico was founded in 1940. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is El Chico based?
El Chico is headquartered in Dallas, United States, in the North America region.
How does El Chico make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Dine-in Restaurant Sales are the primary driver. The others are catering Services, gift Cards and E-Club/Mobile Club Membership.
Who are El Chico's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are On the Border Mexican Grill & Cantina, Rosa's Cafe & Tortilla Factory, Cantina Laredo, Chevys Fresh Mex, Uncle Julio's and Pappasito's Cantina. Taco Cabana is listed as a regional player. Emerging players are Fuzzy's Taco Shop and Torchy's Tacos. Chili's Grill & Bar (Brinker International) is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does El Chico have an API?
No public API is recorded for El Chico.
What industry is El Chico in?
El Chico's product category is Tex-Mex Casual Dining Restaurants. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFACAD, Ethnic & Regional Cuisine Restaurants. Its NAICS code is 722511 and its SIC code is 5810.