La Carnita Canteen Inc.
La Carnita operates a Canadian taqueria chain serving LA-inspired Mexican street food across owned and franchised locations in Toronto, Mississauga, Winnipeg, Baltimore (BWI), and Dubai, integrating an art-and-music community programming layer into the dine-in experience.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersToronto, Canada
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What La Carnita Canteen Inc. does
La Carnita Canteen Inc., operating as La Carnita Ltd., is a Canadian privately held taqueria chain founded in Toronto in 2011. The company originated as a pop-up concept developed in partnership with creative agency ONEMETHOD, using artist collaborations and social media to build brand awareness, and subsequently converted into permanent restaurant operations. Its core offering is an LA-street-taco-culture-inspired Mexican food menu built around tacos and tostadas (proteins include carne asada, achiote chicken, pork belly al pastor, chorizo, vegan chorizo, sweet potato, and mushroom), complemented by starters (quesadilla, nachos, Mexican street corn, wings), desserts (churros, tres leches), a deep tequila and craft-cocktail program, daily feature items, and a 4-6pm happy hour.
The business serves urban Canadian and U.S. consumers seeking Mexican street food in an experiential, art-and-music-driven environment. As of source-dated 2019 materials, La Carnita operated seven locations: three in downtown Toronto (106 John St, 501 College St, 780 Queen St E), one in midtown Toronto (130 Eglinton Ave E), one at Square One in Mississauga, one in Winnipeg, one in Baltimore-Washington International Airport, and one in Dubai. A bi-monthly limited-edition art print program (featuring artists such as Mike Giant, Hydro74, and Shingo Shimzu), DJ programming, and pop-up events serve as brand and community engagement layers above the food offering.
Revenue is generated through three streams: (1) direct restaurant sales of food and beverage across company-owned dine-in, takeout, and delivery channels; (2) franchise fees ($40K entry fee), royalties (5%), and marketing fees (1.5%) from qualified franchisees investing $500K-$1.7M per location; and (3) catering and large-party bookings. The proprietary technology layer is limited to standard POS and reservation/online ordering systems; no AI, data, or platform capabilities are disclosed. The company is privately held with no institutional, PE, or VC funding rounds reported in available sources, and no parent company is identified.
La Carnita Canteen Inc. firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- La Carnita Canteen Inc.
- Legal name
- La Carnita Ltd.
- Website
- https://lacarnita.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- La Carnita operates a Canadian taqueria chain serving LA-inspired Mexican street food across owned and franchised locations in Toronto, Mississauga, Winnipeg, Baltimore (BWI), and Dubai, integrating an art-and-music community programming layer into the dine-in experience.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
La Carnita Canteen Inc. industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Mexican Restaurants
- NAICS
- Limited-Service Restaurants (722513), Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Restaurants and Other Eating Places (72251)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Mexican & Tex-Mex Fast Casual (THAFABAC)
Keywords
Where La Carnita Canteen Inc. is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Toronto
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices7 records
Markets served
La Carnita Canteen Inc. business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Food and Beverage Sales: Direct restaurant sales of tacos, Mexican street food, cocktails, and beverages across owned locations. Includes dine-in, takeout, and delivery orders.
- Franchise Fees and Royalties: Franchise model with $40K franchise fee, 5% royalty fee, and 1.5% marketing fee. Initial investment ranges from $500K to $1.7M.
- Catering and Large Party Bookings: Revenue from catering services and large party reservations at select locations.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Happy Hour - Carnita Margarita |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Happy Hour - Draft Beer and Shots |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Winter Prix Fixe Menu |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Franchise Initial Investment |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
La Carnita Canteen Inc. product offering
Product offeringCore offering
La Carnita Canteen Inc. operates a taqueria-style restaurant chain serving Mexican-inspired street food including tacos, tostadas, starters, desserts, and craft cocktails across multiple North American locations. The company runs both company-owned and franchised locations and offers catering, online pickup and delivery, daily features, and a happy hour program.
Product overview
La Carnita Canteen Inc. is a Mexican restaurant and taqueria chain operating on a single unified product model. The core offering is an LA street-taco-culture-inspired Mexican food menu centered around tacos, tostadas, starters, and desserts, complemented by a full cocktail and beverage program. The company has expanded beyond its original pop-up format to operate multiple restaurant locations across North America, plus one in Dubai. Supporting sub-brands include an Art Program featuring artist collaborations and limited edition prints, and a Franchise Program enabling third-party restaurant ownership. The company also maintains music and community engagement initiatives tied to its restaurant locations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Tacos and Tostadas Menu
- Starters Menu
- Desserts Menu
- Cocktails and Beverage Program
- Daily Features
- Happy Hour
- Catering and Large Party Bookings
- Online Pickup and Delivery Ordering
- Restaurant Franchise Program
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 300 employees across North American locations and Dubai
Companies that use La Carnita Canteen Inc.
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
La Carnita Canteen Inc. technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
La Carnita Canteen Inc. partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- ONEMETHODcoreONEMETHOD is the creative agency that helped launch La Carnita in 2011 through marketing-savvy pop-up events using Twitter. The partnership was instrumental in building initial brand awareness through limited edition art prints and signature tacos, contributing to lineups around the block.
- Monarch & MisfitsminorMonarch & Misfits handles partnership inquiries and opportunities for La Carnita. They serve as the contact for businesses interested in partnership and collaboration opportunities with the brand.
- Toronto LifeminorToronto Life's Membership Program collaborated with La Carnita for the 'Homecoming' art event on Feb 7th, 2019. The event was hosted at ONEMETHOD's creative studio and saw over 150 attendees enjoying food, drinks, and art showcases.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
La Carnita Canteen Inc. competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
La Carnita Canteen Inc. social profiles
Digital presenceLa Carnita Canteen Inc. financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
La Carnita Canteen Inc. leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
La Carnita Canteen Inc. funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
La Carnita Canteen 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 La Carnita Canteen Inc.
What does La Carnita Canteen Inc. do?
La Carnita Canteen Inc. operates a taqueria-style restaurant chain serving Mexican-inspired street food including tacos, tostadas, starters, desserts, and craft cocktails across multiple North American locations. The company runs both company-owned and franchised locations and offers catering, online pickup and delivery, daily features, and a happy hour program.
Is La Carnita Canteen Inc. a public or private company?
La Carnita Canteen Inc. is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was La Carnita Canteen Inc. founded?
La Carnita Canteen Inc. was founded in 2011. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is La Carnita Canteen Inc. based?
La Carnita Canteen Inc. is headquartered in Toronto, Canada, in the North America region.
How does La Carnita Canteen Inc. make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Food and Beverage Sales are the primary driver. The others are franchise Fees and Royalties and catering and Large Party Bookings.
Does La Carnita Canteen Inc. have an API?
No public API is recorded for La Carnita Canteen Inc..
What industry is La Carnita Canteen Inc. in?
La Carnita Canteen Inc.'s product category is Mexican Restaurants. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFABAC, Mexican & Tex-Mex Fast Casual. Its NAICS code is 722513 and its SIC code is 5810.