El Torito facts for kids
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| Industry | Restaurants |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1954 |
| Founder | Larry J. Cano |
| Headquarters |
United States
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El Torito is a popular American restaurant chain. Its name means "the little bull" in Spanish. This chain serves delicious Mexican food.
El Torito has 25 restaurants, all located in California. It is part of a larger group of Mexican restaurants called Xperience Restaurant Group. El Torito started in 1954. It is known for being one of the first full-service Mexican restaurants in California.
Contents
The Story of El Torito
How El Torito Began
El Torito was started in 1954 by a man named Larry J. Cano. Larry had served in the U.S. Army in Europe and Korea. After his military service, he earned a business degree. He also worked as a bartender.
In 1954, Larry was managing a Polynesian restaurant. When the owner passed away, the owner's wife gave the restaurant to Larry. He decided to start serving Mexican food there. This became the very first El Torito restaurant. At one point, Larry faced some financial challenges. He even moved into the restaurant to save money.
Growing the Restaurant Chain
Within three years, the restaurant became very successful. Larry Cano was able to open more locations. By 1976, he had 20 El Torito restaurants. He then sold his business to a company called W. R. Grace and Company. The sale was for about $20 million.
After the sale, Larry Cano was hired as the president of the restaurant division. His job was to help the chain grow even faster.
Changes in Ownership
In 1986, W. R. Grace sold its restaurants. The new company that formed faced financial difficulties. In 1993, it had to file for bankruptcy.
In 1994, another company called Foodmaker bought the restaurant group. Foodmaker changed its name several times over the years. In 2000, Acapulco bought El Torito. Acapulco then changed its parent company's name to Real Mex Restaurants in 2004. The headquarters moved to Cypress, California.
El Torito and Technology
In February 1994, something interesting happened. Engineers were working on a new way to improve CD-ROMs. They visited an El Torito restaurant in Irvine, California. Later, they decided to name their new CD-ROM standard after the restaurant. This shows how well-known El Torito was!
Recent Years and New Management
In 2011, Real Mex Restaurants faced financial challenges again. They filed for bankruptcy and looked for a buyer. A group of their lenders bought the company in 2012.
In 2018, a company called FM Restaurants HoldCo, LLC bought Real Mex Restaurants. This company started operating under the name Xperience Restaurant Group. Randy Sharpe, who used to be a vice president for El Torito, now leads this new group. In 2020, the group began updating 19 of their 31 locations in Southern California.
