Cilantro Taco GrillFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Cilantro Taco Grill franchise requires a total initial investment of $273K – $731K, including a $35K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2024 FDD, average unit revenue was $1.4M[2]. Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2024 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $273K – $731K
- 16th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- $1.4M
- 15th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 26th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 15
- 25th pct Service Resta…
- SBA default
- N/A
Quick verdict · Full-Service Restaurants · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Full-Service Restaurants avg · No shading = within ±15% · Red = >15% below avg · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Started franchising in 2023. Newer systems carry more uncertainty but may offer better territories.
Bottom line
- Total investment $273K – $731K including a $35K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $1.4M/year (median $1.1M).
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 22/100.
- Emerging franchise: only 3 years of franchising with 15 units. Early-stage systems carry higher risk but may offer better territory availability.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- CTG Franchise LLC
- CEO title
- Owner
- Cuahutémoc Morfin
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- IL
- HQ
- 80 West Lake Street, Northlake, Illinois 60164
- Auditor
- DA Advisory Group PLLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $0
- vs $0 prior year
Overview
About
Franchisees operate quick-service taco and Mexican grill restaurants, managing daily food preparation, staffing, inventory, customer service, and point-of-sale operations. They source ingredients, maintain health/safety compliance, execute marketing in their territory, and handle local P&L responsibility while adhering to corporate brand standards and paying 6% weekly royalties.
- CEO
- Cuahutémoc Morfin
- Headquarters
- IL
- Founded
- 2022
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 1
FDD Item 7 · 2024 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $35K | $35K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $25K | $100K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $213K | $596K |
| Total initial investment | $273K | $731K |
Source: Cilantro Taco Grill 2024 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$144K
10.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
26%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
3.9 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $273K – $731K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $25K – $100K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $35K – $35K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- Gross Revenue · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 8.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $200 |
| Transfer fee | $15K |
| Renewal fee | $5K |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $1.4M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $1.1M
- Item 19 type
- Actual
- Sample size
- 13 units
- vs category median 13
- Range (low → high)
- $808K→$2.7M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency
- 4 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · typical
Compared against 1264 Full-Service Restaurants brands
vs Full-Service Restaurants averages
How Cilantro Taco Grill Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 15
- Opened
- 2
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 15
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 0%
- vs corporate-owned
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Projected new
- 4
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 16 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Material financial transparency gaps, franchisor stability concerns, and a stagnant franchise system with unclear unit profitability make this a high-caution investment requiring deep validation before commitment.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation is required to be disclosed
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · DA Advisory Group PLLC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 22 / 100 rating
- 01MINORNo net income disclosure (Item 19) prevents ROI validation and profitability assessment
- 02HIGHGoing Concern flag is FALSE, indicating potential financial instability at franchisor level
- 03MEDOnly 15 units with unknown growth trajectory suggests limited system expansion and possibly stagnant or declining franchise
- 04MINORWide investment range ($273K-$730K) indicates inconsistent unit economics or location-dependent performance
- 05MINOR6% royalty on gross revenue (not net) creates ongoing cash drain regardless of profitability
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Radius |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory radius | 0.3 mi |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 20 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 5 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Cook County, Illinois |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Illinois |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation is required to be disclosed
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 16 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 110 hrs
- Training location
- headquarters and/or affiliate-owned outlet
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Field support
- 80 hrs/yr
- On-site visits per year
- Time to open
- 12 mo
- From signing to launch
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
16 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Cilantro Taco Grill · FDD (2024) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Cilantro Taco Grill franchise?
The total investment to open a Cilantro Taco Grill franchise ranges from $273K – $731K, with an initial franchise fee of $35K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Cilantro Taco Grill franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Cilantro Taco Grill FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $1.4M. The median is $1.1M. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Cilantro Taco Grill's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Cilantro Taco Grill (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many Cilantro Taco Grill franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Cilantro Taco Grill has 15 total units in the United States, including 0 franchised units and 15 company-owned units. 2 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Cilantro Taco Grill a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Cilantro Taco Grill as a A-grade franchise with a risk score of 22 out of 100, based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.