Tumbleweed

What Tumbleweed does

Tumbleweed is a privately-held regional Tex Mex restaurant chain headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, founded in 1975 by George and Linda Keller as a 35-seat location in New Albany, Indiana, with a starting investment of less than $10,000. The company operates 15+ full-service casual dining locations across Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio, with cuisine centered on mesquite wood-fired grilling of steak, chicken, seafood, and pork, complemented by traditional Tex Mex favorites and a dedicated Margarita Bar featuring over 20 varieties of 100% blue agave tequila. The brand's signature differentiator is the wood-burning Mesquite grill platform installed in every unit since 1984, paired with proprietary recipes developed over five decades, including the signature Chile Con Queso.

The business operates a hybrid company-owned and franchise model, with a formal franchise program carrying a $40,000 initial fee (discounted to $35,000 for a second unit and $25,000 for a third), a 4% ongoing royalty, and a 2.5% minimum marketing spend. Average Unit Volume is disclosed at $1.9 million for standard locations and $3.6 million for top performers. Beyond dine-in, the company generates revenue from full-service event catering (weddings, corporate), a mobile food truck servicing Louisville/Southern Indiana, gift cards sold in fixed denominations, and a retail CPG line of cheeses and salsas distributed through Kroger and JayC grocery stores. Distribution leverages the company website for direct online ordering, OpenDining for location-level ordering, and third-party delivery partnerships with Grubhub and DoorDash.

Leadership transitioned in 1995 from the founding Kellers to Matt Higgins, who currently serves as Chairman, CEO, and Owner. The executive team includes President and COO Jeremy Sons, with functional heads across HR/Training and Purchasing. The company is privately held with no institutional or private equity ownership disclosed, and there is no proprietary technology platform; operations rely on standard restaurant POS, third-party delivery, and digital marketing channels including an email/text club and Facebook presence. The historical firmographic listing of NASDAQ:TWED reflects a prior public entity that no longer corresponds to the current privately-held operating company.

Name

Tumbleweed

Legal name

Tumbleweed Inc.

Website

https://tumbleweedrestaurants.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Tumbleweed is a privately-held regional Tex Mex restaurant chain founded in 1975, operating 15+ full-service locations across Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio under a company-owned and franchise model. It generates revenue from dine-in, catering, food truck, gift cards, and a retail CPG line of cheeses and salsas distributed through Kroger and JayC.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Casual Tex Mex Restaurants

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Mobile Food Services (72233), Caterers (72232)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090)

akta.pro primary industry

Mexican & Tex-Mex Fast Casual (THAFABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Mobile Catering Trucks (On-Site Service) (THAFAHAJ), Drop-Off Catering & Boxed Meals (HSACAGAB), Festival, Fair & Event Mobile Concessions (THAFAHAI)

Keywords

• Tex Mex restaurant
• Casual dining
• Mesquite grilled cuisine
• Margarita bar
• Restaurant franchise

Headquarters

HQ city

Louisville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices13 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Restaurant Dining: Full-service dining experience with Tex Mex cuisine, margarita bar, and full bar service. Operates 15+ restaurant locations across Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio.
2. Franchise Fees and Royalties: Franchise model with $40,000 franchise fee (discounted for multiple locations: 2nd $35,000, 3rd $25,000), 4% royalties, and 2.5% minimum marketing spend. Top performing locations achieve $3.6M AUV.
3. Catering Services: Full-service catering for weddings, corporate events, and special occasions. Also operates a food truck serving Louisville/Southern Indiana area.
4. Retail Products: Consumer packaged goods including Chile Con Queso, Chipotle Queso, Poblano Queso, Hot Salsa, and Apricot Salsa sold through Kroger and JayC stores.
5. Gift Cards: Gift cards sold in $25, $30, $50, $75, and $100 denominations with online purchasing and shipping from Louisville office.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Tumbleweed is a Tex Mex restaurant chain that operates 15+ full-service dine-in restaurants across Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio featuring mesquite-grilled cuisine, a dedicated Margarita Bar with over 20 tequila varieties, and signature recipes developed since 1975. Beyond restaurant dining, the company offers full-service event catering, a mobile food truck, retail packaged products (quesos and salsas) distributed through Kroger and JayC, gift cards, and a franchise program with a $40,000 franchise fee.

Product overview

Tumbleweed is a Tex Mex restaurant chain offering a unified dining experience centered on its core restaurant brand, Tex Mex Grill & Margarita Bar. The company operates 14+ locations across Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio, serving mesquite-grilled cuisine alongside an extensive Margarita Bar. The product portfolio includes full-service dining, catering for events (including a food truck option), retail packaged products (Chile Con Queso, Chipotle Queso, Poblano Queso, Hot Salsa, and Apricot Salsa) sold through Kroger and JayC Food Stores, gift cards, and a franchise program. The restaurants integrate with third-party delivery platforms DoorDash and Grubhub for online ordering, while OpenDining powers location-specific online ordering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tumbleweed Tex Mex Grill & Margarita Bar (Restaurant Dining) Full-service Tex Mex restaurant chain offering dine-in, takeout, and delivery featuring mesquite-grilled cuisine, Tex Mex favorites (fajitas, burritos, enchiladas, chimichangas), and a dedicated Margarita Bar with over 20 varieties of 100% blue agave tequila, across 15+ locations in Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio.
• Catering Service
• Tumbleweed Food Truck Mobile food truck service catering events with Tex Mex options including mesquite-grilled chicken, beef, pork, and famous chile con queso. Serves the Louisville/Southern Indiana area.
• Chile Con Queso (Retail) Packaged version of the restaurant's signature cheese dip available for retail purchase at Kroger and JayC Food Stores.
• Chipotle Queso (Retail) Spicy chipotle-flavored cheese dip sold in retail stores at Kroger and JayC Food Stores.
• Poblano Queso (Retail) Poblano pepper-flavored cheese dip available for retail purchase at Kroger and JayC Food Stores.
• Hot Salsa (Retail) Hot salsa product available for retail purchase at Kroger and JayC Food Stores.
• Apricot Salsa (Retail) Sweet-heat apricot salsa product available for retail purchase at Kroger and JayC Food Stores.
• Tumbleweed Gift Cards Prepaid gift cards available in denominations of $25, $30, $50, $75, and $100 for use at any Tumbleweed location.
• Tumbleweed Franchise Program Franchise opportunity offering established brand recognition, proven business model, training, and support for opening new Tumbleweed locations. Franchise fee of $40,000 for first location, $35,000 second, $25,000 third, with 4% ongoing royalties and 2.5% minimum marketing spend.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• GrubhubcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party delivery partnership allowing customers to order Tumbleweed food through Grubhub platform. Available at participating locations.
• DoorDashcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party delivery partnership enabling food delivery through DoorDash from participating Tumbleweed locations.
• KrogercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRetail distribution partnership selling Tumbleweed branded products (Chile Con Queso, Chipotle Queso, Poblano Queso, and salsas) in select Kroger grocery stores.
• JayC Food StorescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional grocery retail partnership distributing Tumbleweed branded products in JayC Food Stores.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Chipotle Mexican Grill: Largest fast-casual Mexican chain in the U.S. with highly digitalized ordering, loyalty, and delivery. Operates as the dominant scaled competitor in the Mexican cuisine category but in a different format (fast casual vs. Tumbleweed's full service).
• Chili's Grill & Bar: Large national casual dining chain with a Tex Mex-adjacent menu (fajitas, quesadillas, Presidente Margarita), full bar service, dine-in/takeout/delivery, and catering. Overlaps with Tumbleweed on cuisine, bar program, and full-service model but operates at vastly larger scale across all 50 states.

Emerging players

• Qdoba Mexican Eats: Fast-casual Mexican chain with dine-in/takeout/delivery, online ordering, and a strong digital loyalty platform. Adjacent competitor in the Mexican cuisine space with a faster, more limited-service model than Tumbleweed.
• Moe's Southwest Grill: Fast-casual Tex Mex chain with customizable burritos, bowls, tacos, and queso. Competes with Tumbleweed in the Tex Mex category but at a faster, lower-AUV format.

Direct peers

• On the Border Mexican Grill & Cantina: Full-service Tex Mex casual dining chain with a dedicated bar/margarita program, dine-in/takeout/delivery, and a catering offering. Operates as the closest direct format-comparable peer to Tumbleweed's full-service mesquite-grill concept.
• Abuelo's Mexican Restaurant: Full-service Mexican restaurant chain with traditional Tex Mex menu, scratch-made sauces, and a strong margarita program. Closely matches Tumbleweed's casual sit-down Tex Mex positioning and event catering offering.
• Casa Olé Mexican Restaurant: Regional full-service Tex Mex chain with margaritas, fajitas, and event catering offerings. Comparable to Tumbleweed on cuisine, format, and a regional rather than national footprint.
• El Chico Café: Long-standing full-service Tex Mex restaurant chain with a margarita/tequila bar and traditional mesquite-influenced menu. Closely comparable to Tumbleweed in heritage (multi-decade operating history), full-service format, and casual dining experience.
• Chevys Fresh Mex: Full-service Tex Mex restaurant chain offering mesquite-grilled cuisine, fajitas, and a tequila/margarita bar. Directly comparable in cuisine, service model, and bar-led dining experience to Tumbleweed.

Regional players

• Taco Cabana: Texas-based Mexican fast-casual chain with drive-thru, dine-in, and a strong margarita program. Comparable Tex Mex competitor operating regionally, similar to Tumbleweed's regional positioning but in a different geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/twgrill
• Xx.com/twtexmex
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tumbleweed-southwest-grill

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Tumbleweed