El Mercado Inc
El Mercado Inc is a privately held Austin, Texas Tex-Mex restaurant chain, founded in 1988, operating two dine-in locations (North on Burnet Rd and South on S 1st St) serving residents and tourists with food, bar, brunch, catering, and private events, plus online ordering via SilverPay.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1988
- HeadquartersAustin, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What El Mercado Inc does
El Mercado Inc is a privately held Tex-Mex restaurant company founded in 1988 and headquartered operationally in Austin, Texas, where it operates two full-service dine-in locations — El Mercado North at 7414 Burnet Rd and El Mercado South at 1302 S 1st St — serving Austin residents and tourists with authentic Mexican cuisine including sizzling fajitas, carne asada, enchiladas, tacos, burritos, and a full bar program anchored on frozen and rocks margaritas and Mexican martinis. The core product surface spans an in-house food menu, weekend brunch (Sat–Sun 11am–3pm), an Express Lunch Specials program (10 combos at $11.50, Mon–Fri 11am–3pm), a drink menu with Happy Hour windows, and an in-house buffet program.
The company's revenue model is a hybrid of dine-in restaurant sales, off-premise catering, private-party event hosting, and digital ordering. Dine-in and bar sales are point-of-sale transactions; catering operates on per-person buffet pricing (e.g., $16–$24/person for dinner buffets, $17.99–$19.99/person for appetizer buffets) plus retail-format party starters and margarita-jug service; private-event revenue is sourced through flexible party spaces with no published pricing. Distribution is omnichannel but locally scoped: physical dine-in at both Austin locations, direct off-premise catering sales, and online pickup/fulfillment via the third-party SilverPay platform. Bookings, menus, and the website are operated on the SpotHopper restaurant-marketing platform; Facebook, Instagram, Google Business Profiles, and email newsletter serve as organic marketing channels.
Customer segmentation is hybrid — primarily local Austin residents and tourists, with secondary use-case segments for event hosts (private parties), brunch and happy-hour patrons, and corporate/office catering clients — and the go-to-market is direct-to-consumer. Pricing is uniformly à-la-carte/pay-as-you-go across in-house and catering tiers. Technology is entirely third-party SaaS (SpotHopper, SilverPay, Google Maps, Meta social), with no proprietary R&D, patents, or AI/ML capability disclosed. The firm has no subsidiaries, no parent company, no public listing, no recorded funding rounds, and no disclosed management team in the source data.
El Mercado Inc firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- El Mercado Inc
- Legal name
- El Mercado Inc
- Website
- https://elmercadorestaurant.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1988
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- El Mercado Inc is a privately held Austin, Texas Tex-Mex restaurant chain, founded in 1988, operating two dine-in locations (North on Burnet Rd and South on S 1st St) serving residents and tourists with food, bar, brunch, catering, and private events, plus online ordering via SilverPay.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
El Mercado Inc industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Tex-Mex Casual Dining Restaurant
- 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
- All-Day Dining Restaurants (THAFACAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Full-Service Catering (Off-Premise) (HSACAGAA), Plant-Based & Vegan Fast Casual (THAFABAK)
Keywords
Where El Mercado Inc is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Austin
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
El Mercado Inc business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Dine-in Food and Beverage Sales: Traditional restaurant revenue from serving Tex-Mex cuisine and beverages to dine-in customers at both North and South Austin locations.
- Catering Services: Catering for private events, parties, corporate gatherings, and office celebrations with customizable menu packages including appetizer buffets, fajita dinners, enchilada dinners, and specialty taco options.
- Online Ordering: Digital ordering through SilverPay platform allowing customers to order food for pickup or delivery from the comfort of their homes.
- Private Event Hosting: Revenue from hosting birthday parties, rehearsal dinners, corporate events, and other special occasions in flexible private party spaces.
- Banquet and Buffet Services: In-house buffet and catering menu offerings for events including Heavy Appetizer Buffet, Taco/Nacho Buffet, Fajita Dinner Buffet, Specialty Taco Buffet, and Enchilada Dinner Buffet.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Lunch Specials |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Weekend Brunch |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Happy Hour Drink Specials |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Catering - Heavy Appetizer Buffet |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Catering - Fajita Dinner Buffet |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Catering - Enchilada Dinner Buffet |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Catering - Specialty Taco Buffet |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Catering - Margarita Service |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Catering - Party Starters |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Desserts |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Catering - Appetizers with Dinners |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Catering - Beer and Beverages |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Draft and Bottle Beer |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
El Mercado Inc product offering
Product offeringCore offering
El Mercado Inc operates two full-service Tex-Mex restaurants in Austin, Texas, serving authentic Mexican cuisine including fajitas, tacos, enchiladas, burritos, brunch dishes, and signature margaritas through dine-in service, pickup, delivery, and weekend buffet options. Beyond restaurant dining, the company provides off-site catering for private and corporate events, hosts private parties in dedicated event spaces, and runs daily happy hour and weekend brunch programming. Supporting infrastructure includes online ordering via the SilverPay platform, table reservations through the SpotHopper website, and active social media engagement on Facebook and Instagram.
Product overview
El Mercado Inc operates two Austin-based Tex-Mex restaurant locations (North and South) as a unified dining brand. The core product offering centers on authentic Tex-Mex cuisine served at both locations, supported by food and drink menus that include appetizers, fajitas, tacos, enchiladas, burritos, and desserts. Additional service modules include lunch specials, weekend brunch, online ordering via SilverPay, table reservations, private party hosting, and Fiesta Catering for off-site events. The company also promotes daily happy hour specials and seasonal food/drink promotions through its events program.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- El Mercado North Restaurant Full-service Tex-Mex dine-in restaurant at 7414 Burnet Rd, Austin, TX 78757, open Sun-Thu 11am-8:30pm and Fri-Sat 11am-9pm, serving the full El Mercado food and drink menu.
- El Mercado South Restaurant Full-service Tex-Mex dine-in restaurant at 1302 S 1st St, Austin, TX 78704, open Sun-Thu 11am-9pm and Fri-Sat 11am-10pm, serving the full El Mercado food and drink menu.
- Tex-Mex Food Menu Full Tex-Mex dining menu featuring appetizers, sizzling fajitas, tacos, enchiladas, burritos, Mexican dinners, weekend brunch items, and desserts served to dine-in, pickup, and delivery customers.
- Drink Menu Beverage offerings including domestic and imported bottled/canned beers, draft beer (Dos Equis Lager, (512) IPA), signature cocktails, frozen and rocks margaritas, Mexican martinis, and seasonal wines.
- Lunch Specials Express lunch specials served Mon-Fri 11am-3pm, offering 10 different Tex-Mex combination plates priced at $11.50 each, including cheese enchiladas, crispy tacos, chicken fajitas, and taco salads.
- Weekend Brunch Menu Saturday and Sunday brunch service from 11am-3pm featuring huevos rancheros, migas, omelettes, breakfast tacos, breakfast quesadilla, and brunch cocktails including mimosas, mango mimosas, and bloody marys.
- In-House Buffet Buffet-style dining options including heavy appetizer buffet, taco/nacho buffet, fajita dinner buffet, specialty taco buffet, and enchilada dinner buffet served in-house at El Mercado Austin locations.
- Happy Hour and Specials Weekly drink and food specials including Happy Hour Mon-Fri 11am-2pm lunch happy hour, Mon-Thu 3pm-6pm happy hour with $5-$6.50 frozen or rock ritas, Monday-Tuesday night $5 margaritas and $6 MEX-Martinis, and weekend brunch promotions.
- Catering Menu Off-site catering menu for private events featuring appetizer buffets ($17.99-$19.99 per person), fajita dinner buffets ($24 dinner / $23 catering per person), enchilada dinner buffets ($17 in-house / $16 catering per person), specialty taco buffets ($19 in-house / $18 catering per person), margarita service packs (Rocks/Frozen $60), and party starters such as chile con queso and guacamole by quart, half-gallon, or gallon.
- Fiesta Catering Service Catering service bringing authentic Tex-Mex flavors to private events, small parties, and office celebrations with customizable menus for groups.
- Private Parties and Events Private event hosting with flexible party spaces at El Mercado for birthdays, rehearsal dinners, corporate events, holiday parties, and wedding festivities.
- Online Ordering Third-party online ordering system (powered by SilverPay) enabling customers to order El Mercado food for pickup and delivery.
- Table Reservations Table reservation service for dine-in guests at El Mercado North and South locations to ensure availability during peak hours.
Quantifiable outcome
- 36 years of continuous operation as an Austin Tex-Mex institution
Companies that use El Mercado Inc
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
El Mercado Inc technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
El Mercado Inc partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
El Mercado Inc competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Maudie's Tex-Mex: Long-standing Austin Tex-Mex full-service restaurant group serving dine-in, lunch specials, and catering. Operates in the same local market with very similar casual Tex-Mex positioning and customer base.
- Z'Tejas: Austin-based Tex-Mex Southwestern full-service restaurant with locations in Austin and other Texas metros. Comparable dine-in casual dining experience, bar program, and regional customer demographic.
- Torchy's Tacos: Austin-born Tex-Mex/QSR chain with strong regional brand recognition. Comparable as a Tex-Mex operator serving Austin locals with multiple locations, takeout, and catering, but positioned closer to fast-casual than El Mercado's full-service model.
- Rosa Maria's: Single-location Austin Tex-Mex restaurant with strong local following and street tacos focus. Comparable Austin-based Tex-Mex operator competing for the same dine-in and catering customers.
- Freebirds World Burrito: Texas-based Tex-Mex casual chain founded in College Station with multiple Austin-area units and a catering program. Comparable menu category and Texas-wide footprint ambitions relevant to El Mercado's catering business.
- Chuy's: Founded in Austin in 1982 and now a multi-state Tex-Mex casual dining chain. Directly comparable operating model: full-service Tex-Mex, full bar, private events, happy hour programming — same category and customer demographic as El Mercado.
Broad incumbents
- Taco Cabana: San Antonio-based Mexican fast-casual chain with drive-thru and dine-in service. Adjacent competitive set; useful benchmark for testing price-positioning and traffic-share dynamics against El Mercado's full-service model.
- Lupe Tortilla: Larger Houston-area Tex-Mex full-service chain with catering, private events, and multi-location operations. Relevant comparable for understanding unit economics, catering structure, and growth playbook at greater scale than El Mercado.
- Pappasitos Cantina: Houston-based Pappas family Tex-Mex full-service chain with multiple locations, fajita-forward menu, large bar program, and private event hosting. Directly comparable category with substantially greater scale.
Regional players
- Mattie's at Green Pastures: Iconic Austin Texas-tinged restaurant with private event focus and distinctive setting. Comparable as an Austin sit-down restaurant operator competing for the same special-occasion, catering, and private-event dollars.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
El Mercado Inc social profiles
Digital presenceEl Mercado Inc compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
El Mercado Inc financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
El Mercado Inc leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
El Mercado Inc funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
El Mercado Inc 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 Mercado Inc
What does El Mercado Inc do?
El Mercado Inc operates two full-service Tex-Mex restaurants in Austin, Texas, serving authentic Mexican cuisine including fajitas, tacos, enchiladas, burritos, brunch dishes, and signature margaritas through dine-in service, pickup, delivery, and weekend buffet options. Beyond restaurant dining, the company provides off-site catering for private and corporate events, hosts private parties in dedicated event spaces, and runs daily happy hour and weekend brunch programming. Supporting infrastructure includes online ordering via the SilverPay platform, table reservations through the SpotHopper website, and active social media engagement on Facebook and Instagram.
Is El Mercado Inc a public or private company?
El Mercado Inc is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was El Mercado Inc founded?
El Mercado Inc was founded in 1988. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is El Mercado Inc based?
El Mercado Inc is headquartered in Austin, United States, in the North America region.
How does El Mercado Inc make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Dine-in Food and Beverage Sales are the primary driver. The others are catering Services, online Ordering, private Event Hosting and banquet and Buffet Services.
Who are El Mercado Inc's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Maudie's Tex-Mex, Z'Tejas, Torchy's Tacos, Rosa Maria's, Freebirds World Burrito and Chuy's. Broad incumbents are Taco Cabana, Lupe Tortilla and Pappasitos Cantina. Mattie's at Green Pastures is listed as a regional player.
Does El Mercado Inc have an API?
No public API is recorded for El Mercado Inc.
What industry is El Mercado Inc in?
El Mercado Inc's product category is Tex-Mex Casual Dining Restaurant. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFACAJ, All-Day Dining Restaurants, with a secondary code of HSACAGAA, Full-Service Catering (Off-Premise). Its NAICS code is 722511 and its SIC code is 5810.