Primos Mexican Food & CantinaFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A PRIMOS MEXICAN FOOD & CANTINA franchise requires a total initial investment of $100K – $595K, including a $40K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.0% royalty[2]. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). Verdict grade: C. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $100K – $595K
- 3rd pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 28th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 7th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 20
- 27th 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.
Franchised units fell from 9 to 0 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
Bottom line
- Total investment $100K – $595K including a $40K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Verdict C (Average) with a risk score of 69/100.
- No Item 19 financial performance representation. Without franchisor-disclosed revenue data, you'll need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Primos Franchise Holdings VIII, LLC
- Parent company
- RFT Investors, LP
- CEO title
- Founder and President
- Felix R. Calero
- CEO experience
- 30 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- CA
- HQ
- 5839 Mission Gorge Rd., Ste. C, San Diego, CA, 92120
- Auditor
- Haynie & Company
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $312K
- vs $614K prior year
Overview
About
Franchisees operate casual Mexican quick-service or full-service restaurants under the Primos brand, managing day-to-day food preparation, customer service, staff scheduling, and inventory while paying 5% royalties (minimum $3,000/month). Operations include compliance with franchisor standards, marketing participation, and maintaining protected territory rights.
- CEO
- Felix R. Calero
- Founded
- 2022
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 1
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 16 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Fee | $20K | $40K | |
| Travel & Living Expenses While Attending Initial Training | $3K | $8K | |
| Real Estate Improvements | $0 | $5K | |
| Rent & Security Deposit (3 Months) | $2K | $40K | |
| Leasehold Improvements | $10K | $200K | |
| Equipment | $15K | $100K | |
| Furniture, Office Equipment & Software | $4K | $20K | |
| Signs | $500 | $20K | |
| Licenses | $500 | $5K | |
| Grand Opening | $3K | $9K | |
| Marketing & Marketing Fee (3 months) | $8K | $10K | |
| Insurance | $3K | $4K | |
| Legal Fees | $1K | $5K | |
| Opening Inventory of Supplies | $1K | $10K | |
| Additional Funds (3 months) | $10K | $50K | |
| Miscellaneous Opening Costs | $1K | $10K | |
| Total initial investment | $80K | $535K |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $100K – $595K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $10K – $50K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $20K – $40K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- Gross Revenues · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.5%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 6.5%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.5% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $250 |
| Training fee | $1K |
| Transfer fee | $8K |
| Renewal fee | $20K |
| Total fee load | 6.5% of rev |
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
vs Full-Service Restaurants averages
How Primos Mexican Food & Cantina Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 20
- Opened
- 4
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 1
- Terminated
- 1
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 5.0%
- Company-owned
- 11
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 45%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- +28.6%
- Net unit change last year
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Projected new
- 4
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Termination rate
- 5.0%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
- Ceased ops
- 15.0%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 1 state reported
The Territory Map
FDD Item 12 reports the state count, but the specific list isn't in our current data. The map will appear once we re-extract from the FDD or enough franchisee contacts are available.
1
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
Fast growth in a small system. Newer franchisors expanding quickly may not yet have the support infrastructure of larger systems.
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
Undisclosed financials, going concern questions, and rapid growth in a small system create meaningful uncertainty around unit-level profitability and franchisor viability.
Litigation (Item 3)
Item 3 (Litigation) section not provided in document
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Haynie & Company
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 69 / 100 rating
- 01MEDNo Item 19 financial disclosure (Avg Revenue and Net Income not disclosed) — impossible to validate ROI on $100K-$595K investment
- 02HIGHGoing Concern status is FALSE — franchisor may be experiencing financial distress or operational instability
- 03MINORAggressive unit growth of 28.6% YoY with only 20 total units suggests rapid scaling without proven profitability model
- 04MINORDual royalty structure ($3,000/month floor) means marginal operators subsidize franchisor regardless of performance
- 05MINOROnly 20 units system-wide limits ability to absorb franchise failures; high concentration risk
- 06HIGHNo litigation disclosure provided; inability to verify franchisor's legal history
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 | 2 |
| Territory type | Geographic |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory population | 50 |
| Online sales rightsℹ | 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 | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | San Diego, California |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | California |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
Item 3 (Litigation) section not provided in document
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 59 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 21 hrs
- Training location
- Training Center and nearby Franchises
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Field support
- 21 hrs/yr
- On-site visits per year
- POS system
- Cake POS System
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Cake POS System
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
10 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
PRIMOS MEXICAN FOOD & CANTINA · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a PRIMOS MEXICAN FOOD & CANTINA franchise?
The total investment to open a PRIMOS MEXICAN FOOD & CANTINA franchise ranges from $100K – $595K, with an initial franchise fee of $40K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do PRIMOS MEXICAN FOOD & CANTINA franchise owners earn?
PRIMOS MEXICAN FOOD & CANTINA does not disclose average franchise owner earnings in their FDD Item 19. Not all franchisors are required to make financial performance representations. We recommend asking existing franchisees directly about their financial experience.
What is PRIMOS MEXICAN FOOD & CANTINA's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for PRIMOS MEXICAN FOOD & CANTINA (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 PRIMOS MEXICAN FOOD & CANTINA franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, PRIMOS MEXICAN FOOD & CANTINA has 20 total units in the United States, including 9 franchised units and 11 company-owned units. 4 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is PRIMOS MEXICAN FOOD & CANTINA a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates PRIMOS MEXICAN FOOD & CANTINA as a C-grade franchise with a risk score of 69 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.
For franchisors
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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.