Tijuana Flats facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Tijuana Flats Tex-Mex

Type	Private
Industry	Restaurants
Founded	1995; 30 years ago (1995) in Winter Park, Florida
Founder	Brian Wheeler
Headquarters	Maitland, Florida, U.S.
Number of locations	91
Area served	Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina, Kentucky
Key people	James J. Greco CEO
Number of employees	3,000 (2016)

Tijuana Flats Tex-Mex is a popular American restaurant chain. It serves delicious Tex-Mex cuisine, which is a mix of Mexican and American flavors. You can find over 91 Tijuana Flats restaurants in states like Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Kentucky.

These restaurants are known for their fresh food, cool hot sauce bars, and colorful wall murals. When you visit, you order your food at the counter. Then, you find a seat, and your meal is brought right to your table!

The first Tijuana Flats restaurant opened in Winter Park, Florida in 1995. It was started by Brian Wheeler, who was a student at the University of Central Florida. He used money he borrowed to make his dream a reality.

The Story of Tijuana Flats

A Tijuana Flats restaurant in Gainesville, Florida

Tijuana Flats began its journey in Winter Park, Florida. Brian Wheeler got the idea from another Mexican restaurant he liked. He borrowed $20,000 from his family to open the first location. Many of the first customers were students from his old college.

After a few restaurants opened, a business expert named Camp Fitch joined the company in 1999. He helped Tijuana Flats grow even bigger. Brian's dad, Chester Wheeler, also joined the team as the chief financial officer. He helped manage the company's money.

By 2001, Tijuana Flats had six locations. This number grew to 18 by 2004 and 65 by 2009! In 2005, the company even built a special training center. This center helps teach new restaurant managers how to do their job well.

In 2007, Tijuana Flats started a non-profit group called the Just in Queso Foundation. This foundation helps people in need. For example, it helped remodel a home for a war veteran. It also donates money from its special hot sauce to help with important health research.

In 2015, the company was sold to a new owner. Over the years, several people have led the company as CEO. In 2024, Tijuana Flats went through a big change and was bought by a new company called Flatheads, LLC. By early 2025, the company was doing well again. It plans to update its menu and open even more restaurants.

Restaurant Look and Feel

Tijuana Flats restaurants are famous for their unique and artistic look. A main feature in every location is a special hand-painted wall mural. The very first mural was painted in 1995 by an artist named Christopher Galipeau. He painted many murals for the company. His artwork often included a giant green character he called "God."

Another cool feature was the "wall of fame" in each restaurant. Until 2016, these walls were covered with photos and autographs of famous people who had visited. Newer restaurants built after 2016 no longer have this wall.

How Designs Have Changed

Tijuana Flats has updated its restaurant design many times over the years.

• Early Look (1995–2008): The first restaurants looked like small, local taco shops. They had celebrity photos, shelves of hot sauces, and colorful lights.
• "Mature" Look (2008–2015): Later, the company wanted a more grown-up style. These restaurants had darker colors like purple and red. The celebrity photos were neatly lined up.
• "Amped Up" Look (2015–2020): In 2016, the "wall of fame" was removed. The murals were painted on wood or concrete, giving the restaurants an industrial feel.
• "High-Tech Prototype" (2020–Present): The newest design is very bright and modern. It features digital menu boards and colorful walls with blue and yellow paint. The murals now show funny lizards in local settings. For example, you might see lizards paddling a boat or fishing! These new murals are usually placed near where you order your food.

Remodeling Old Locations

Since 2021, Tijuana Flats has been updating its older restaurants to match the new "High-Tech Prototype" design. One of the first locations to be remodeled was in Winter Park, Florida. It got a new mural showing lizards playing in a park. This mural was changed a bit after some fans thought it looked too childish.

Another important remodel happened in 2022 at the Hunt Club, Florida, location. This remodel removed a very old and famous mural. It was one of the first full-wall murals ever painted for Tijuana Flats by Christopher Galipeau in the 1990s.

What's on the Menu?

A hot sauce bar from Tijuana Flats

Tijuana Flats offers many tasty choices! You can pick from main dishes like burritos, burrito bowls, chimichangas, tacos, flautas, fresh salads, nachos, quesadillas, and wings.

For your tacos, you can choose between soft flour or wheat tortillas, or crunchy hard corn shells. Most items come with your choice of toppings like lettuce, tomatoes, onions, sour cream, and jalapeños. You can also pick your fillings, such as shredded chicken, beef, steak, shrimp, or beans.

You can make your meal special by adding low-fat cheese and sour cream (called "Powerlite"). You can also get it "smothered" with queso (cheese sauce) or chipotle sauce. If you're extra hungry, you can get a "megajuana" with double meat and cheese! Most meals can also come with rice, beans, and a drink.

For starters, you can get chips with fresh salsa, spicy salsa, queso, or guacamole. You can also get a trio with all three! Sides include salsa, pico de gallo, queso, guac, rice, or beans. For dessert, they have churro bites or cookie dough flautas. Tijuana Flats also offers meal kits for burritos, tacos, and wings, which are great for families.

See also

• List of Tex-Mex restaurants