At the onset of the pandemic, everything we understood about customer traffic and buying behavior was completely upended. Predictability had essentially evaporated overnight. But even as we all became increasingly worried about the pandemic, we knew that Überrito could remain an important and active part of the communities we serve. Within weeks of the initial shutdowns, Überrito sales began their sharp rebound because from scratch, fresh and flavorful Mexican fast casual remains a personal source of comfort for both young and old – so it shouldn’t surprise anyone that affordable, delicious, and freshly made burritos and tacos have proven to be remarkably pandemic-resistant. Between the onset of COVID-19 until now, Überrito has been able to drive comp positive sales while retaining employees and expanding its product offering and off-premise services.
“Fast casual Mexican has been very resilient in the COVID-19 environment just as it was during the Great Recession,” said Pete Pascuzzi, CEO of MRI Heritage Brands, Inc. “Guests appreciate and value fresh, quality ingredients, especially during uncertain times, because of their uncanny ability to boost your mood, lighten your perspective and bring a smile to your face. And that’s something we wall need.”
Furthermore, Überrito was able to remain open throughout the height of the crisis because of the strong leadership shown by our teams along with the immediate operational changes that were made.
“Within days, we switched all our marketing levers to encourage every customer to use our online ordering platform and formalized agreements with all the major third-party delivery services such as UberEats, Postmates and DoorDash,” said Pascuzzi. “Our end goal from the beginning of COVID-19 had been to create a sense that normal lunch and dinner rituals – involving the families and residents around our restaurants – are indispensable and safe, even in a highly abnormal year such as the one we all lived through.”
Überrito’s investment in technology not only included a full suite of delivery options, but an expedited online ordering process that allowed guests to pick up their custom-made authentic Mexican favorites – burritos, tacos, bowls, salads, and nachos - within 15 minutes after ordering at any of the brand’s locations.
“From the onset, we knew we had to adapt and make smart and efficient operational adjustments to meet the needs of a completely new consumer while keeping them safe and our teams as well,” said Pascuzzi . “It took a lot of hard work and determination to get our restaurants back on track, but our quick transition to curbside, along with delivery and the increased use of our online ordering platform, allowed our brand to adapt unlike many others while we continued to meet the needs of our customers and the surrounding communities.”
According to Pascuzzi, there is always opportunity in change because as a nimble franchise brand, Überrito is able to trigger different marketing ideas at a moment’s notice in order to ensure sales remain strong and restaurants continue to be relevant. Even at the height of the pandemic, we were still able to remain extremely relevant and our guests responded.
Überrito’s story began nearly a decade ago. Over the years the Überrito brand has grown, introducing new products while refining its scratch-cooking operations and recently added beer, wine, and margaritas to its menu mix to become even more relevant to today’s evolving customer. The investment paid off – 2021 sales trends are on track to hit $1.5 million.
Today, Überrito has several locations spread across greater Houston and our revamped model, upgraded training and support, state-of-the-art technology and new operational efficiencies are credited for igniting our surge into franchise development.
To learn more about why Überrito is one of the best franchises to buy right now, visit Uberrito.com/franchise.
