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 restaurant chain in the United States. It started in Salt Lake City, Utah. This restaurant serves delicious Mexican cuisine in a "fast casual" style. This means you can get your food quickly, but it's still fresh and made with good ingredients, like a sit-down restaurant.

Cafe Rio has many locations across different states. You can find their restaurants in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Maryland, Montana, Nevada, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming. Their menu includes many tasty options like burritos, tacos, salads, and desserts. They also offer catering services for events. As of 2023, Cafe Rio had 162 locations.

The Story of Cafe Rio

A Cafe Rio location in Provo, Utah

Cafe Rio began its journey in 1997. It was started by Steve and Tricia Stanley in St. George, Utah. At first, it was a small chain.

In December 2004, the restaurant chain was bought by Bob and Kathleen Nilsen, Spencer K Hill, and a company called SKM/Apax Partners. At that time, Cafe Rio had only six restaurants. Over the years, new leaders helped the company grow. Dave Gagnon became the CEO and COO in 2011. Later, in 2018, Steve Vaughan took over as CEO.

Cafe Rio's food is inspired by traditional cooking from the Rio Grande region. This area includes parts of Northern Mexico, Southern Texas, and New Mexico. A special thing about Cafe Rio is that all their meals are cooked fresh every day in each restaurant's kitchen. One of their most famous dishes is a sweet pork barbacoa burrito, often served "enchilada-style." The company has continued to expand, opening new locations and adding drive-thrus to some of their existing restaurants.

A Past Disagreement

In 2005, Cafe Rio had a disagreement with another fast casual Mexican restaurant from Utah called Costa Vida. Cafe Rio believed that Costa Vida had copied some of their recipes. The two companies talked about it and settled their disagreement privately in 2007.

Where to Find Cafe Rio

Cafe Rio has restaurants in many states across the U.S.

External links

• Cafe Rio Official Website: http://www.caferio.com/