Roaring Fork Restaurant Group

What Roaring Fork Restaurant Group does

Roaring Fork Restaurant Group is a privately held, locally owned multi-brand restaurant franchisee headquartered in West Allis, Wisconsin. Founded in 1997 as a QDOBA Mexican Eats franchisee, the company has grown to become the second largest franchisee in the QDOBA system and now operates 74 restaurants across Wisconsin, Illinois, and Iowa — comprising 63 QDOBA Mexican Eats locations and 11 Dave's Hot Chicken locations operated through the MR Chicken joint venture formed in 2021 with Mike Pranke. The company employs over 1,100 people across restaurant operations and corporate functions.

The company's core operations span dine-in, takeout, drive-thru, online/app ordering, and a centralized catering division that coordinates orders across 62 QDOBA restaurants through a dedicated team of catering specialists and over 70 delivery drivers. The catering platform supports corporate events (with named clients including Milwaukee Tool, Advocate Aurora Health, and GEI), social gatherings, and office meals with offerings ranging from customizable hot bars and boxed meals to taco kits, breakfast catering, and Dave's Hot Chicken hot boxes. Supporting infrastructure includes management of 39+ real estate properties and a QDOBA Rewards loyalty program.

Roaring Fork's business model is primarily transaction-based retail revenue from restaurant sales supplemented by catering and a recurring customer loyalty program. The company generated industry recognition including QDOBA Franchisee of the Year in 2023, multiple top-10 General Manager rankings, and the Capitol Drive team achieving $3.5M in annual sales. Distribution channels include company-owned restaurant locations, the QDOBA online ordering platform, mobile app, and direct catering sales. Geographic expansion is ongoing, including a second QDOBA in West Des Moines, Iowa opening June 23, 2026.

Name

Roaring Fork Restaurant Group

Legal name

Roaring Fork Restaurant Group

Website

https://roaringforkrestaurantgroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Roaring Fork Restaurant Group is a privately held Midwest restaurant franchisee operating 74 locations — 63 QDOBA Mexican Eats and 11 Dave's Hot Chicken — across Wisconsin, Illinois, and Iowa, serving individual consumers via dine-in/takeout/drive-thru and corporate and social event clients through a centralized catering division with 70+ delivery drivers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Casual Dining Restaurants

NAICS

Limited-Service Restaurants (722513), Caterers (72232), Caterers (722320)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Multi-Concept / Global QSR Chains (Mixed Menus) (THAFAAAO)

Keywords

• Fast casual restaurants
• Mexican restaurant franchise
• Nashville hot chicken
• Restaurant catering services
• Multi-unit franchisee

Headquarters

HQ city

West Allis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Restaurant Retail Sales: Direct restaurant sales from 63 QDOBA Mexican Eats locations and 11 Dave's Hot Chicken locations operating across Wisconsin, Illinois, and Iowa. Revenue generated from dine-in, takeout, and drive-thru customers purchasing menu items including burritos, bowls, tacos, sliders, tenders, and beverages.
2. Catering Services: Corporate and social event catering through dedicated catering team and delivery drivers. Services include Hot Bars, Boxed Meals, Party Packs, Taco Kits, and Breakfast Catering with delivery and setup across the Midwest. Catering supports 62 QDOBA restaurants and growing Dave's Hot Chicken locations.
3. QDOBA Rewards Program: Loyalty program where customers earn points on catering orders that can be redeemed for free entrees, catering discounts, or gift cards, driving repeat business and customer retention.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Roaring Fork Restaurant Group operates 74 franchise restaurants across Wisconsin, Illinois, and Iowa — 63 QDOBA Mexican Eats locations and 11 Dave's Hot Chicken locations operated through the MR Chicken joint venture. The company runs dine-in, takeout, and drive-thru service under both brands, plus a centralized Wisconsin-based catering department coordinating event orders across all locations, including customizable hot bars, boxed meals, party packs, taco kits, and breakfast catering with delivery and setup.

Product overview

Roaring Fork Restaurant Group is a multi-brand restaurant franchisee operating 74 restaurants (63 QDOBA Mexican Eats and 11 Dave's Hot Chicken) across Wisconsin, Illinois, and Iowa. The company offers dine-in, takeout, and delivery services through its two core brands, complemented by comprehensive catering operations and a customer loyalty program. QDOBA Mexican Eats provides customizable Mexican-inspired fast-casual meals with flame-grilled proteins, while Dave's Hot Chicken offers Nashville-style hot chicken in multiple spice formats. The catering division provides customizable hot bars, boxed meals, party packs, taco kits, and breakfast catering for events, while the QDOBA Rewards program drives customer engagement across both brands.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• QDOBA Mexican Eats: Fast-casual Mexican restaurant brand operated as a franchisee with 63 locations in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Iowa.
• MR Chicken
• Dave's Hot Chicken

Products and services

• QDOBA Mexican Eats Restaurants Fast-casual Mexican restaurant brand offering customizable burritos, bowls, tacos, quesadillas, nachos, and salads with flame-grilled proteins, free guacamole and queso on entrees. Operated by Roaring Fork across WI, IL, and IA.
• Dave's Hot Chicken Restaurants Nashville-style hot chicken fast-casual brand offering sliders, tenders, bites, and fries in seven spice levels from No Spice to Reaper, with halal certification. Operated by MR Chicken (joint venture) with 11 Wisconsin locations.
• QDOBA Catering Full-service catering operation offering customizable hot bars, boxed meals, chips and dip party packs, taco kits, and breakfast catering for events of all sizes across Wisconsin, Illinois, and Iowa, coordinated through a centralized Wisconsin-based team.
• Dave's Hot Chicken Catering

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship, major and minor.

• MR Chicken (Mike & Ron)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Partnership between Ron Stokes and Mike Pranke (MR stands for Mike & Ron) to open 17 Dave's Hot Chicken franchises in Wisconsin within six years. Roaring Fork Restaurant Group operates 11 Dave's Hot Chicken locations through this partnership.
• QDOBA Franchisee AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Ron Stokes founded the QDOBA Franchisee Association in 2017 and served as chairman for 9 years, representing the needs of over 80 QDOBA Franchise groups with over 500 restaurants in the US, Canada, and Puerto Rico.
• Green Bay PackersflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor community partnership including Green & Gold Fridays promotion where QDOBA offers free chips & queso to customers wearing green or gold on Fridays during football season. Company is a proud catering partner of the Green Bay Packers.
• University of Wisconsin-Madison AthleticsmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity partnership with UW-Madison athletics supporting Badger sports programs.
• Marquette University AthleticsmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity partnership supporting Marquette University athletics programs.
• University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee AthleticsmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity partnership supporting UW-Milwaukee Panther athletics.
• University of Wisconsin-Green Bay AthleticsmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity partnership supporting UW-Green Bay Phoenix athletics.
• University of Wisconsin-Whitewater AthleticsmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity partnership supporting UW-Whitewater Warhawk athletics.
• University of Wisconsin-ParksideminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity partnership supporting UW-Parkside Rangers athletics.
• Wisconsin Lutheran College AthleticsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity partnership supporting Wisconsin Lutheran College athletics.
• Wisconsin Timber RattlersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with Milwaukee-area minor league baseball team.
• Camp ShutoutminorGTM or Marketing PartnerYouth sports camp partnership.
• Kwik Trip Tour of Americas Dairyland (ToAD)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerTitle sponsor of major Wisconsin cycling event.
• Wisconsin Restaurant AssociationmajorOthersIndustry membership organization supporting Wisconsin restaurant operators.
• Visit MilwaukeeminorOthersMetropolitan visitors bureau partnership supporting Milwaukee tourism.
• Heart of Wisconsin Chamber of CommerceminorOthersLocal chamber membership supporting Wisconsin Rapids area business community.
• Wisconsin Dells Visitors Center & Convention BureauminorOthersPartnership supporting Wisconsin Dells tourism and convention business.
• Des Moines West Side Chamber of CommerceminorOthersChamber membership supporting Des Moines, Iowa market operations.
• Grafton Area Chamber of CommerceminorOthersLocal chamber membership supporting Grafton, Wisconsin business community.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Taco Bell: Taco Bell, owned by Yum! Brands, is the largest Mexican-inspired QSR chain and competes with QDOBA for value-oriented and late-night occasions. While not a like-for-like franchisee peer, it directly shapes the competitive set and pricing dynamics for QDOBA's 63 Roaring Fork-operated restaurants.
• Inspire Brands: Inspire Brands owns a multi-brand restaurant portfolio including Arby's, Buffalo Wild Wings, Sonic, Dunkin', Jimmy John's, and Baskin-Robbins. As a multi-brand restaurant platform operator, Inspire is a relevant broad incumbent that demonstrates the strategic logic behind Roaring Fork's dual-brand structure and could represent a future exit path or partnership angle.
• Chipotle Mexican Grill: Chipotle is the dominant fast-casual Mexican chain and QDOBA's most direct competitor for consumer dining occasions. Multiple Roaring Fork regional managers came from Chipotle (Luis Arteaga, Edgar Martinez, Joanna Kochs), and Chipotle sets the competitive benchmark for unit economics and menu innovation in the category.

Direct peers

• Slim Chickens: Slim Chickens is a competing Nashville-style hot chicken fast-casual chain with a similar spice-level menu structure (No Spice to hottest levels) and growing franchise system. It is the most direct competitive peer to Dave's Hot Chicken across Roaring Fork's 11 Wisconsin locations.
• MUY Brands: MUY Brands is a multi-brand restaurant franchisee operating Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and KFC locations across multiple U.S. states. The closest direct peer to Roaring Fork in terms of multi-brand diversification, geographic spread, and reliance on Yum! Brands-adjacent franchises for unit growth.
• Apple American Group: Apple American Group is one of the largest Applebee's franchisees in the country, with a multi-state operating footprint and centralized support infrastructure. Comparable to Roaring Fork in managing a large multi-unit QSR/casual-dining portfolio with corporate-level back-office functions.
• Flynn Restaurant Group: Flynn is the largest U.S. restaurant franchisee, operating Applebee's, Taco Bell, Wendy's, Arby's, and Panera locations. It is the closest direct peer to Roaring Fork as a multi-brand franchisee running both legacy (Taco Bell, Wendy's) and growth-stage concepts with centralized support functions.
• Fourteen Foods: Fourteen Foods is the largest Dairy Queen franchisee in the United States, with operations concentrated in the Midwest. Several Roaring Fork regional managers (Tim Streets, Holly Bjorge) came directly from Fourteen Foods, and it serves as a model large franchisee of a single brand with multi-state footprint.
• Yadav Enterprises: Yadav Enterprises is a large multi-brand restaurant franchisee operating Jack in the Box, Denny's, and other concepts. Direct peer as a privately held, growth-oriented franchisee group running multiple brands with centralized operations across multiple states.

Regional players

• Wisconsin Hospitality Group: Wisconsin Hospitality Group is a regional franchisee that operated 122 Applebee's and Pizza Hut restaurants in Wisconsin prior to Randy Beaver (now Roaring Fork's SVP of Operations) departing in 2017. It serves as the regional precedent for large-scale Midwest franchise operations and a relevant Wisconsin-specific comparison point.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/roaringforkrestaurantgroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/roaring-fork-restaurant-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Roaring Fork Restaurant Group