Cilantro Taco Grill Marks Milestone with First Texas Opening, Expands Beyond Chicagoland

Fastest-Growing Authentic Mexican Franchise Brings Traditional Cuisine to Prosper, Texas

CHICAGO, April 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- After 12 years of satisfying customers in Chicagoland with authentic Mexican cuisine, Cilantro Taco Grill is bringing its traditional tacos, burritos, and salsas to Prosper, Texas in April 2025. This opening marks a major milestone for the fastest-growing authentic Mexican franchise as it expands beyond its Chicagoland roots for the first time and introduces its unique family story to the thriving Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Behind the Location: Multi-Unit, Multi-Brand Franchisee Hector Haget

• Haget immigrated to the United States from Cuba with his family when he was 4, a similar pursuit of the American dream that inspired Cilantro Taco Grill's founder, Temoc Morfin. Like Morfin, Haget's parents worked tirelessly to create better opportunities for their children, instilling in him a strong work ethic and entrepreneurial spirit.
• With 17 years of experience franchising with Jersey Mike's, Haget is now bringing his expertise and passion for franchising to Cilantro Taco Grill, expanding its authentic Mexican cuisine into new markets while offering opportunities to fellow immigrants in the business world.
• The first Cilantro Taco Grill in Texas is located at 1470 W Frontier Pkwy, Prosper, TX 75078.
• Haget plans to develop at least five additional Cilantro Taco Grill restaurants split between the Dallas-Fort Worth area and Orange County, California.

"Cilantro Taco Grill is proof that if an immigrant dreams big and works hard, anything is possible," said Haget. "Temoc and I share the same immigrant journey to the United States as so many others. In a world dominated by Mexican QSR giants like Taco Bell and Chipotle, it's refreshing to be part of a brand that serves truly authentic Mexican cuisine while empowering Latino entrepreneurs to live out their own American dream."

As Cilantro Taco Grill opens its first franchise outside Chicagoland, the brand is maintaining a consistent customer experience through its central commissary system that is prioritizing authentic flavors and ingredients. This opening comes less than two years after launching its franchise opportunity with the support of the global leader in franchise development, Fransmart. Together, they aim to grow the next generation of Mexican fast casual concepts to more than 1,000 units worldwide over the next 10 years.

"I never could have imagined that my taqueria in the Chicago suburbs would grow into a national franchise," said Temoc. "I started Cilantro Taco Grill with a mission to set immigrants like myself up for success in business, inspired by my family's own immigrant story. It's very exciting to now share our authentic recipes and the flavors of my culture with new communities, giving more customers across the country a taste of my home in Jalisco."

In addition to the opening in Prosper, Texas, Cilantro Taco Grill plans to open six new locations in 2025, including out-of-state expansions in Texas and Florida, along with four new franchises in Illinois. These openings come less than two years after Cilantro Taco Grill launched its franchise opportunity with the support of the global leader in franchise development, Fransmart. Together, they aim to grow the next generation of Mexican fast casual concepts to more than 1,000 units worldwide over the next 10 years.

Cilantro Taco Grill was founded in 2013 by Temoc Morfin, who was inspired to bring the family's treasured flavors and recipes to the masses by his father, 'Don Javi' Morfin. Cilantro Taco Grill has since thrived in the competitive Chicagoland market, expanding to 18 open locations as of April 2025. The brand is also expanding rapidly nationwide, with over 100 locations signed in Illinois, Texas, Florida, and California.

Cilantro Taco Grill's mission extends beyond sharing high-quality, authentic Mexican food; they are shattering barriers by empowering immigrant and Latino communities through franchising. Ideal franchisees have prior franchise experience and share Cilantro Taco Grill's vision to uplift local communities. Franchisees receive expert training and guidance from the Cilantro Taco Grill team through their Cilantro Academy, in addition to a high-end tech stack that features a consumer app launching in summer 2024, digital menu boards, and a highly popular rewards program. Cilantro Taco Grill also features multiple revenue streams for franchisees with a popular catering program and bottles of their ultra-popular house salsa consistently flying off shelves.

Franchisees who are interested in joining Cilantro's mission to create wealth in marginalized communities can visit https://fransmart.com/brand/cilantro-taco-grill/ to get started.

About Cilantro Taco Grill   
Cilantro Taco Grill's story begins with 'Don Javi' Morfin, who immigrated from Guadalajara, Jalisco to Chicago with his wife, Alicia, and 11 children. His son, Temoc Morfin, Cilantro Taco Grill's founder, realized that sharing his ancestors' recipes, flavors, and spices through culinary arts was his true passion and this way, he would be able to contribute to creating jobs and help others to be successful. Thanks to the collaborative effort of Temoc's family, Cilantro Taco Grill was born as a fast-casual restaurant fueled by the authentic flavors of Mexico, the heart of Don Javi, and the vision of Temoc.

The first Cilantro Taco Grill opened in 2013 in the Stone Park neighborhood of Chicago. Since then, the Morfin family has opened 15 total locations across the greater Chicagoland area. The brand focuses on authentic Mexican recipes that showcase the flavors they brought with them from the heart of Jalisco. The brand's exceptional unit economics and advanced tech-stack attracted the attention of Grammy Award winner Armando Christian Perez (Pitbull), who's partnered with Fransmart's CEO Dan Rowe to launch the nationwide franchising efforts for the brand. For more information, visit www.cilantrotacogrill.com. 

About Fransmart
As the leading franchise development firm in the country, Fransmart turns emerging restaurant concepts into successful national and global brands. Founded by Dan Rowe, the man who identified and grew brands such as Five Guys Burgers & Fries and QDOBA Mexican Grill from single unit businesses to the powerhouse chains they are today. Fransmart's current and past franchise development portfolio brands have opened more than 5,000 restaurants worldwide and facilitated franchise investments that have cumulatively generated 1 billion dollars in revenue to date. For more information, visit www.fransmart.com.      

SOURCE Fransmart