Largest Wendy's Franchisee Adding Taco John's To Portfolio

The largest Wendy’s franchisee in America, Meritage Hospitality Group, has just signed a mega development agreement with QSR Mexican restaurant brand Taco John’s. Under the agreement, Meritage Hospitality will build 50 new Taco John’s restaurants by 2026 with options to develop an additional 150 restaurants. The deal is the biggest franchise agreement in Taco John’s  history.

“Taco John’s is the perfect fit for our company. While exploring concepts to expand our portfolio, we were quickly attracted to Taco John’s,” said Gary Rose, president and COO of Meritage Hospitality Group. “We are excited about the Mexican restaurant segment and the bigger, bolder, better direction of the brand. We’re excited to open our first restaurants near our headquarters in west Michigan in 2022.”

Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Meritage Hospitality Group is no stranger to big franchise deals. The company currently owns and operates 345 Wendy’s locations across 16 states and employs more than 11,000 people.

Taco John’s now has more than 380 stores open across 22 states.

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