Start a Baja Fresh Franchise in 2025

Franchise 500 Rank: N/R Not ranked last year

Initial investment: $322K - $974K

Units as of 2020: 113 16% over 3 years

Baja Fresh is a Mexican fast-casual restaurant meeting a demand for healthier fast food options. Since 1990, the brand has offered a menu consisting of handmade, farm-fresh food, prioritizing flavor and nutrition above trends and empty fillers. Baja Fresh is also known for its strategically designed restaurants where customer comfort is just as important as food quality.

Baja Fresh began franchising in 1995 and largely expanded its brand.

Why You Should Start a Baja Fresh Franchise

The company's philosophy—"Eat Well. Live Fresh."—makes the brand an option for franchisees who want to sell freshly prepared, health-conscious food without operating a full-scale restaurant. The company takes plenty of measures to ensure its locations' food is fresh, as they are committed to keeping microwaves, can openers, and freezers out of their kitchens.

Experience in the food industry helps, but is not required to open a Baja Fresh franchise. A shared belief in fresh food is crucial to the brand and for interested franchisees. Because of this, franchisees should see the value in daily food prep and be willing to maintain and manage this standard.

Franchisees may also find Baja Fresh's reputation and partnerships beneficial to their business. Baja Fresh has forged solid partnerships with an entire network of vendors or suppliers. These suppliers sell everything franchisees need to operate their business at a discount. These strategic partnerships may result in huge savings annually. Furthermore, Baja Fresh has third-party sources that can help franchisees pay the franchise fee, startup costs, and equipment finance.

What Might Make Baja Fresh a Good Choice?

Baja Fresh serves a Mexican-based cuisine with a health-conscious twist. Both Mexican food and healthy alternatives have become increasingly popular in the United States. With cuisine popularity, reputation, and the company's philosophy, a franchisee may own a competitive franchise within the Mexican fast-casual dining industry.

"Fresh" is Baja Fresh's claim to fame, but there are other advantages franchisees may benefit from. Franchisees may find that the company's two different concept options provide enough flexibility to open up their desired location. The company also provides hands-on training, from food prep to bookkeeping. Baja Fresh will work with franchisees and their staff to help implement important training into the franchise.

How to Open a Baja Fresh Franchise

As you gather your finances, you'll want to decide which franchise concept is best for your location. Baja Fresh offers either a Single or Express option. The Single option is a freestanding restaurant, whereas the Express option is counter service. To help you make this decision, research your local market. Are there other Mexican fast-casual dining restaurants in your area? Is there a mall or shopping center that sees a lot of foot traffic? Can you take advantage of being close to a university or airport? You'll want to be sure you don't have too much competition and that you can capitalize on busy areas.

If you meet all financial requirements, Baja Fresh deems you a good fit, and you choose your concept, you may sign a Franchise Disclosure Document. Once becoming a franchisee, you can begin to train and be well on your way to having a grand grand opening.

Company Overview

About Baja Fresh

Industry	Food
Related Categories	Mexican Food
Founded	1990
Parent Company	MTY Franchising USA Inc.
Leadership	Eric Lefebvre, CEO
Corporate Address	9311 E. Via De Ventura Scottsdale, AZ 85258
Social	Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

Business Overview

Franchising Since	1995 (30 years)
# of employees at HQ	227
Where seeking	This company is offering new franchises in the following US states: This company is offering new franchises in the following international regions:
# of Units	113 (as of 2020)

Information for Franchisees

Here's what you need to know if you're interested in opening a Baja Fresh franchise.

Financial Requirements & Ongoing Fees

Here's what you can expect to spend to start the business and what ongoing fees the franchisor charges throughout the life of the business.

Initial Franchise Fee Definition: The initial fee paid to a franchisor to join their system What you need to know: Found in Item 5 of the FDD, this may be a flat fee, or may vary based on territory size, experience, or other factors.The franchise fee is an up-front (one-time) cost that a new franchisee pays to the franchisor. This fee is usually due at the signing of the franchise agreement and covers the right to use the franchisor's trademarks, name, and related business systems.	$30,000
Initial Investment Definition: The total amount necessary to begin operation of the franchise What you need to know: The initial investment includes the franchise fee, along with other startup expenses such as real estate, equipment, supplies, business licenses, and working capital. This is outlined in a chart in Item 7 of the FDD, showing a range of possible costs from low to high.	$322,310 - $974,290
Net Worth Requirement Definition: The minimum net worth you must have in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company What you need to know: Net worth is the value of a person's assets minus liabilities. Assets include cash, stocks, retirement accounts, and real estate. Liabilities include items like mortgages, car payments, and credit card debt.	$500,000
Cash Requirement Definition: The minimum liquid capital you must have available in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company.	$250,000
Veteran Incentives Definition: A discount or other incentive offered to military veterans who buy a franchise with this company.	20% off franchise fee
Royalty Fee Definition: A ongoing fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis. What you need to know: Most franchisors require franchisees to pay an ongoing royalty fee, which is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD. This fee is typically a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales, but may also be a flat weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	5%
Ad Royalty Fee Definition: An going fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis to support advertising or marketing efforts. What you need to know: This may also be called advertising fee, marketing fee, brand fund fee, and more, but the basic purpose is the same-- to support promotion of the brand systemwide. As with the royalty fee, it is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD, and can be a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales or a weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	3%
Term of Agreement Definition: The length of time your franchise agreement will last. What you need to know: Franchise terms are typically anywhere from 5 to 20 years in length, but are sometimes instead dependent on factors such as the term of your lease. Once your term is up, you may have the option to renew your agreement, typically for a smaller fee than the original franchise fee.	10 years
Is franchise term renewable?	Yes

Financing Options

Some franchisors offer in-house financing, while others have relationships with third-party financing sources to which they refer qualified franchisees.

Third Party Financing	Baja Fresh has relationships with third-party sources which offer financing to cover the following: franchise fee, startup costs, equipment

Training & Support Offered

Franchisors offer initial training programs and a variety of ongoing support options to help franchisees run their businesses.

On-The-Job Training	240 hours
Classroom Training	40 hours
Ongoing Support	Newsletter Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Security & Safety Procedures Field Operations Franchisee Intranet Platform
Marketing Support	Co-op Advertising Ad Templates National Media Regional Advertising Social Media SEO Website Development Email Marketing Loyalty Program/App

Operations

Additional details about running this franchise.

Is absentee ownership allowed?	No
Can this franchise be run from home/mobile unit? Definition: The business can be run from your home and/or a vehicle, and it is not necessary to have a retail facility, office space, or warehouse.	No
Can this franchise be run part time? Definition: This business can be run by the owner on a part-time basis (less than 40 hours per week) and/or as a side business; it is not necessary for the business to be open/run full-time.	No
Are exclusive territories available? Definition: An exclusive territory is a fixed area in which you are given the right to operate and in which no other units of the same franchise may be opened. What you need to know: Territory size may be based on factors such as radius, population size, zip codes, and more. Details can be found in Item 12 of the FDD.	No