Cafe Rio facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Cafe Rio Mexican Grill

Type	Restaurant
Industry	Casual dining Restaurants
Genre	Fast Casual
Founded	1997; 28 years ago (1997)
Headquarters	Salt Lake City, Utah
Number of locations	162 (as of 2023)

Cafe Rio, also known as Cafe Rio Mexican Grill, is a popular American restaurant chain. It's a "fast casual" type of restaurant, which means you get your food quickly, but it's usually made fresh with good ingredients. The company started in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Cafe Rio serves delicious Mexican cuisine. Their menu has lots of choices like burritos, tacos, salads, and quesadillas. They also offer catering services for parties and events. As of 2022, Cafe Rio has grown to have 146 locations across many states.

What is Cafe Rio?

Cafe Rio Mexican Grill is a restaurant chain that makes fresh Mexican-inspired food. They are known for their "fast casual" style. This means you can get your food quickly, but it's still made with fresh ingredients.

You can find Cafe Rio restaurants in many states. These include Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Maryland, Montana, Nevada, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming.

What's on the Menu?

Cafe Rio offers a wide variety of Mexican-inspired dishes. You can find many tasty options on their menu.

Some popular choices include:

• Tostadas
• Salads
• Burritos
• Enchiladas
• Tacos
• Quesadillas

They also have appetizers, soups, desserts, and different drinks. A special dish they are known for is their sweet pork barbacoa burrito. It's often made "enchilada-style," which means it's covered in sauce and cheese.

How Cafe Rio Started

A Cafe Rio location in Provo, Utah

Cafe Rio began in 1997 in St. George, Utah. It was started by Steve and Tricia Stanley. They wanted to create a place with fresh, delicious Mexican food.

Their recipes are inspired by traditional cooking. These recipes come from the Rio Grande region. This area includes Northern Mexico, Southern Texas, and New Mexico.

Fresh Food Every Day

A big part of Cafe Rio's idea is making food fresh. Meals are cooked right in each restaurant's kitchen every single day. This helps make sure the food tastes great.

In 2004, a group of people bought the company. At that time, Cafe Rio had six restaurants. By 2020, Cafe Rio had grown to 135 locations. The company plans to open even more new restaurants in the future. They also want to add drive-thrus to some locations.

A Friendly Dispute

In 2005, Cafe Rio had a disagreement with another restaurant chain called Costa Vida. Both companies are based in Utah and serve similar food. Cafe Rio believed Costa Vida had copied some of their recipes. The two restaurants talked about it and settled their differences privately in 2007.

Where to Find Cafe Rio

Cafe Rio has many locations across the United States. They are always growing and opening new restaurants.

Here are the states where you can find a Cafe Rio: