Franchise FAQ

Zambrero is Feel Good Mex! A fresh, healthy quick-service Mexican restaurant franchise and a humanitarian enterprise committed to helping stop world hunger by donating a Plate 4 Plate with every burrito, bowl or grab & go retail item purchased.

We are about more than just delicious, Mexican inspired food made with healthy ingredients. We are a way to feel good inside, by helping in our mission to stop world hunger, one meal at a time. With our Plate 4 Plate initiative you can fill your karma and your belly in one stop. Every burrito or bowl you buy, means one meal donated to someone in need across the globe with our partner Rise Against Hunger. We are proud to say to date we have donated over 60 Million meals!

We have ambitious plans to continue to expand Zambrero across the globe and donate 1 billion meals by 2025 via our Plate 4 Plate initiative, so in recent years we have already expanded beyond Australia into New Zealand, Ireland, UK and the USA.

Yes, Zambrero restaurants are franchise owned. We partner with individuals who have the same passion as us to serve fresh, healthy, Mexican food and contribute to help ending world hunger.

Zambrero is Australia’s largest Mexican quick service restaurant franchise with 200 restaurants here in Australia and 38+ global restaurants across New Zealand, Ireland, England and the United States of America.

If you are interested in opening your own Zambrero restaurant, please visit our franchise page.

In order to be successful as a franchise partner, we look for the following traits;

• Passion, commitment and ambition to be successful
• Strong leadership skills with the ability to build a collaborative and supportive team
• Entrepreneurial flair and a desire to open multiple restaurants
• Previous experience in business management
• Passion for delivering the best customer experience to everyone who enters their restaurant
• A desire to be part of a greater movement for ending world hunger

No previous hospitality experience is required to own and operate a Zambrero franchise. Our most successful franchise partners come from a variety of backgrounds and skill sets. The common trend that they all possess is a shared list of characteristics and traits which help ensure their success when running their restaurant. Most important to the success of a Zambrero restaurant is passion, effort and drive to be part of the journey as we continue to grow and expand both nationally and internationally.

Starting any business can be overwhelming, but when you join the Zam Fam you have a whole team cheering you on to succeed. We've simplified the process into ten important steps to make sure our goals, passions and expectations are aligned.

Step 1 - Enquire

Make an online enquiry and fill out the questionnaire.

Step 2 - Interview

Our Franchise Recruitment Team will contact you by phone for an initial interview.

Step 3 - Franchise Application Form

Complete our Franchise Application Form and Non - Disclosure Agreement.

Step 4 - Brand Introduction Meeting

Join our Chief Executive Officer for a Brand Introduction Meeting.

Step 5 - Discovery Day

Join our Restaurant Operations Team for a Restaurant Discovery Day.

Step 6 - Legal

You will be issued with the appropriate legal documentation for review.

Step 7 - Final Approval

You will be issued with your final approval to become a Zambrero Franchise.

Step 8 - Meet the Founder

Your official welcome to the Zam Fam, a meeting with the Founder of Zambrero, Dr. Sam Prince.

Step 9 - Site Selection, Design & Build

Site selection, design and build for your dream restaurant in your preferred location.

Step 10 - New Restaurant Opening

Includes all your training and onboarding all in preparation for day 1 in your new restaurant.

The cost of opening a Zambrero restaurant varies and depends on several factors including location, restaurant format and size.

However, the average cost to open a restaurant is approximately $400,000-$650,000 ex GST.

This includes a number of costs including franchise fees, training, restaurant fit-out, equipment, opening stock etc. to ensure you are set up to succeed.

Ongoing franchise fees are 7% of monthly sales. Marketing fees are 3% of monthly sales.

From our experience, the most successful franchise partners work in their restaurants. This allows them to be fully involved in the day-to-day operations of the restaurant.

The Zambrero franchise opportunity is suited to those people who want to be actively involved in managing their restaurant and do not see it as a passive investment opportunity.

Once you scale beyond your first restaurant, there is an opportunity to employ restaurant managers, leaving you to manage your business successfully.

You will work closely with both our Head Office Team and your local State Operations Team to ensure that you are fully set up for success before your restaurant opens.

A comprehensive 4 week training and induction program is undertaken before you open your restaurant.

This program includes a classroom session at our head office in Sydney where you will spend time with our subject matter experts as they take you through all aspects of running your restaurant. During this multi-day event, you will spend time with each department learning about various marketing strategies and programs, detailed financial analysis, cash flow forecasting, operational systems and much more. You will also have an opportunity to meet our executive team to learn more about how to run a successful Zambrero restaurant.

You will also complete in-restaurant training in your home state and will receive guided support in the lead up to your restaurant opening.

Once your restaurant is open, we will be there right alongside you to give you the best chance of success from the start. You will have a local team of Area Managers and State Operations Managers who will frequently visit you in your restaurant to offer ongoing training and operational support. In addition, our Head Office team is always available to assist you with anything you need.

The initiative is simple and one that makes a big impact. Every time a customer purchases a burrito or bowl at Zambrero, a meal is donated to someone in need in the developing world through our key distribution partners Love Hope and Rise Against Hunger.

Locally, Zambrero donates a meal to someone in an underprivileged Australian community every time a customer purchases a product from our Grab & Go range. To ensure the meals are donated to those in need, Zambrero partners with Foodbank Australia.

For more information, visit our Plate 4 Plate page.

Zambrero has donated over 60 million meals for those in need worldwide since it was established in 2005.

Our goal is to donate a billion meals by 2025.

Visit our homepage to find the most up to date number of Plate 4 Plate meals donated.

Our friends at Foodbank report 2.2 million Australians are living in poverty and 10.9% of those are children. One in 4 pensioners live in or close to poverty and 105,000 Australians are homeless.

That’s why in 2015, Zambrero extended our humanitarian efforts to address the growing problem of hunger here at home through sales of our Grab & Go range.

Every time a product from our Grab & Go range is sold, we fund a Foodbank meal for an Australian in need.

To find out more, visit our Plate 4 Plate page.

The Zambrero POS system is linked to every Zambrero restaurant in Australia and abroad, allowing us to accurately track the sales of all burritos, bowls, and Grab & Go items. A real-time counter is made publicly available in all Zambrero restaurants as well as on our websites.

NATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS

SurfAid & Surfing Australia
Nothing feels better than catching the perfect wave and nothing tastes better than a burrito for a post-surf feed to refuel. That's why we've partnered with Surfing Australia and SurfAid. We're stoked to be onboard as a support partner for the SurfAid Make a Wave Challenge, Surfing Australia 2021/22 Hyundai Australian Boardriders Battle Series state qualifiers and Grand Final as well as presenting partner for the series and the Australian Surfing Awards in 2022 and 2023

Cronulla Sharks NRL Club
Zambrero's partnership with the Cronulla Sharks NRL Club started with the 2019/20 season, and we continue to be proud to sponsor the team as the back of the jersey partner.

LOCAL SPONSORSHIPS

We also work closely with local communities to unlock collaborations, sponsorships and local area marketing initiatives to stay actively engaged with our Zam Fam local and regionally to spread our Feel Good Mex far and wide!

For more information, visit our Partnerships page.