A U.S. quick-serve restaurant chain built on the premise of serving up fresh, fast Mexican-style eats is growing its presence in Canada as its first Vancouver location is in the works.
Signs are up at 2838 E Hastings St for Dos Bros Fresh Mexican Grill in a space that was previously a Money Tree loan and cheque-cashing business.
The forthcoming Vancouver franchise location will mark the brand's second in Canada. Late last year Dos Bros revealed its first franchise location in Canada - and westernmost restaurant - was coming to Abbotsford in a former Starbucks on Sumas Way.
Founded in 2015 in Cleveland, Tennessee by Kush Shah and Milan Patel, Dos Bros has enjoyed a rapid ascent in the QSR ranks, with growth initially in the American South.
Build-your-own burritos, bowls, and salads on Dos Bros menu
The Dos Bros menu centres on Mexican-inspired casual items like burritos, bowls, and salads, as well as quesadillas, nachos, and tacos. Customers can choose their protein (for example: carnitas, tofu, chicken) and can opt to make it a combo with guac or queso and a drink.
"When we opened our first Dos Bros Fresh Mexican Grill store, we made a twofold promise to our customers -- to only use the freshest ingredients available all the time and to be an active participant in what matters most to our customers - their health and their community," reads a letter from Shah and Patel in a franchising booklet for Dos Bros issued in 2021.
"All our locations are open environments with clear visibility to the grill and prep stations," notes the document.
"Unlike other restaurant start-ups, we’ve built our menu based on what we know our consumers like — not what we think they should like," explains Dos Bros.
The U.S. franchise joins several of its kind looking to grow in Canada
The brand makes no secret on its social media that its closest competitor is the industry giant Chipotle.
Dos Bros is joining other American franchise chains looking to make big gains in the Canadian market, such as Popeyes, which continues to add locations in Vancouver. Last month, two major American sub-style sandwich chains, Jersey Mike's and Jimmy John's, revealed large-scale plans to grow north of the border.
The Vancouver Dos Bros has not indicated a timeline for opening as of yet and still is not listed on the company's website.
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