Tijuana Flats Tex-Mex

How’d Tijuana Flats become Tijuana Flats? Funny story, really. Back in 1995, this college kid, Brian Wheeler, walked into a bar. Actually, a bunch of bars. And restaurants, too. At first, it was just harmless fun. But over time, the good times got the best of him and just going out no longer cut it. So Brian decided to open his own restaurant despite having never even worked in one before (brilliant, right?). Only problem was, Brian was broke. Luckily, his parents weren’t. And after much begging and pleading, his dad loaned him $20,000 & Brian opened the first Tijuana Flats in Winter Park, Florida.

While most college grads (yes, Brian graduated from UCF, or so he says) would be stoked just to own their own restaurant, deep down Brian had a burning desire to do more. Turns out, the burning was just hot sauce he’d eaten, but Brian saw it as a sign and created his own line of hot sauces shortly thereafter—the “Smack My Ass & Call Me Sally” brand, which includes some of the hottest sauces in the world.

In 1999, Brian’s success caught the eye of former restaurant industry hotshot Camp Fitch, who left retirement to become partner & chairman of Tijuana Flats. And Camp wasn’t the only one. Remember the dad who reluctantly loaned his son $20K? Yup, Chester Wheeler left a 30-year career at a Fortune 500 company to become CFO of Tijuana Flats.

Judging from our eclectic “non-chain” vibe, it may seem like we don’t have a care in the world. But the truth is, we care deeply about the people in our company, restaurants and communities. Which is why we attract the best-of-the-best team members who engage with guests from the time they walk in to the time they leave. We may be fast casual, but everyone at Tijuana Flats takes the time to truly care. That’s just how we roll. Since our first restaurant, Tijuana Flats has grown to 130 restaurants in six very lucky states.

Since day one, Tijuana Flats has always given back to the community. But in January 2007, we created the Just in Queso Foundation to give back even more. Much more. We’ve raised over $4,000,000 and counting, and our team members have donated countless hours to help those in need. We give back internally too through team member scholarships, a team member assistance fund and other in-house initiatives.

We satisfy people’s cravings for bold flavors and colorful experiences piled high with big-hearted over-the-top service. And we proudly celebrate every person and every community with Tex-Mex For All. That nicely sums up what we do. But who are we at our core and what do we believe? Our core values can answer that. They’re the main things we believe are important in life and behaviors we strive to achieve at all times.