Nutritional Information
- Chicken Taquitos
Four crispy corn tortillas filled with fire-grilled chicken, grilled onions, and jack cheese, served with Baja rice, choice of black or pinto beans, sour cream, guacamole, and cotija cheese - Enchiladas Verdes
Corn tortillas filled with fire-grilled chicken and jack cheese, topped with salsa suiza, sour cream, sliced avocado, and red onion. served with Baja rice and a premium side salad with your choice of dressing - Chicken Baja Taco
Soft corn tortillas filled with fire-grilled chicken and topped with freshly made hot or mild salsa and onion & cilantro mix, cholce of a la carte taco or make it a 2 taco combo with Baja rice and choice of black or pinto beans
- Stuffed Queso
- Southwest
- Diablo
Melted Jack cheese, fresh hand made guacamole, and pico de gallo wrapped in a warm flour torilla.
Hand Picked, Hand Chopped, Made Fresh, All Day
- Salsa 6 Chiles -Hot
Roasted tomatillos, tomatoes, onions, habanero, puya, chipotle, arbol, guajillo and cascabel chiles. - Salsa Molcajete -Hot
Fresh roasted tomatoes. Chile jalapeños and fresh cilantro. - Pico De Gallo - Medium
Fresh roma tomatoes, serrano chiles, red onions, cilantro and lime juice. - Salsa Baja - Medium
Fresh roasted tomatoes, onions, serrano and de arbol chiles, fresh garlic, pico de gallo and cilantro. - Salsa Verde - Medium
Medium Fresh tomatillos, jalapeños and poblano chiles, cilantro, lime juice. - Salsa Mango -Mild
Mild Mango, apple, pear, onions, bell pepper and fresh cilantro.
- Attempt to get a scoop with the least amount of the diced white part of the tomato
- After you fill the little cup, put the back of the spoon on the top of the cup and turn the cup upside down to drain the excess juice
- Pinto Beans
- Flour Tortilla
Baja Fresh
WIKIPEDIABaja Fresh
American chain of fast-casual Tex Mex restaurants founded in Newbury Park, California, in 1990 and headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona. It is owned by Canadian franchisor MTY Food Group. The chain emphasizes fresh ingredients, each restaurant featuring a self-serve salsa bar.In 1990 Jim and Linda Magglos took out a third mortgage on their home and opened the first Baja Fresh in Newbury Park, California in the Conejo Valley.
- Franchising began in 1995
- They had expanded to 31 outlets by 1997
- In 1998, the Magglos worked with Greg Dollarhyde and Pete Siracusa, who recapitalized the parent company, acquired venture capital and bought shares from outside holders to take control of Baja Fresh. Dollarhyde became CEO with Siracusa as Chairman and Magglos as President, they then grew the chain from 45 locations in 1998 to 249 stores.
- In 2002, Wendy's International purchased Baja Fresh for $275 million. As a wholly owned subsidiary of Wendy's, the 249 restaurant chain saw consistently declining same-store sales.
- In 2006, Wendy's sold the roughly 300-location Baja Fresh chain for $31 million to BF Acquisition Holdings, a private investor consortium that had operated franchised restaurant units for such chains as Sweet Factory, Cinnabon and Denny's. At the time of the firm's acquisition by BF Acquisition Holdings in 2006, Baja Fresh had 144 company-owned and 154 franchised locations in the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington as well as the District of Columbia. The consortium was led by David Kim, who took on the role of CEO, and later appeared on Season 2 episode 20 of the reality TV series Undercover Boss.
- In 2009, Baja Fresh moved its corporate headquarters from Thousand Oaks to Cypress, California, and closed all locations in central Ohio.
- Between 2009 and 2010, the chain closed stores in Berkeley, Pasadena and Torrance, California. When the chain opened its first international location in Dubai in 2010, the chain also had 255 restaurants in 28 U.S. states.
- In late 2011, the company moved its main corporate office from Cypress to Irvine.
- In early 2012, the chain closed its store in Newbury Park, California, although this was a different location in Newbury Park than the original site of the first Baja Fresh.
- On April 5, 2012, David Kim stepped down from his position as company CEO. His position was assumed by company president Chuck Rink, who began to hold both titles.
- On April 12, 2013 Baja Fresh closed all five locations in Phoenix, Arizona, without notice by a franchise operator.
- In September 2016, it was announced that Baja Fresh's parent, BF Acquisition Holdings, was sold to MTY Food Group for $27 million. At the time of the acquisition by MTY, Baja Fresh had 162 restaurants and its sister company La Salsa had 23 restaurant with 16 of the combined 185 locations were franchised.
3345 Kimber Drive Suite B
Newbury Park, CA 91320
1464 Madera Road Suite F
Simi Valley, CA 93065
(Still Open)
1015 Broadbeck Drive #7
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
(Now Mod Pizza)
April 28, 1994 by Leo SmithIn 1990, Baja Fresh Mexican Grill entered...
In 1990, Baja Fresh Mexican Grill entered the restaurant scene when its proprietors opened an establishment in Newbury Park. Within a year, the budding Westlake-based chain had added another restaurant in Simi Valley.Now, in its fourth year, Baja Fresh has expanded to six operations, also including Westlake, Woodland Hills, Beverly Hills and, as of mid-February, in Camarillo.
The Baja Fresh menu features healthy and, as the name would imply, fresh fare. The folks who run the chain boast that their traditional Mexican food is grilled rather than fried, that the chicken is skinless, that no lard is used in preparation of the food, that the tortilla chips are made with cholesterol-free canola oil and that the salsa is fresh.
Baja FreshA Fresh Take
We stand out because of the extreme measure we take to help ensure freshness and don't have can openers, microwaves or freezers in our restaurants.
- No Microwaves
- No Freezers
- No Can Openers
- Never Processed
- Farm Fresh
- Handmade
Since 1990, we've chosen the handmade, not the processed. The farm-fresh, not the tin-canned. At Baja Fresh franchise restaurants, flavor and nutrition are always selected over fillers and fads. Dedicated customers find that eating well is a way of life and a state of mind. We believe in real food made with passion, for real people. Food prepared by hand from real recipes and real farm-fresh ingredients, not pre-packaged. Life should be full of variety, zest, and positive energy, energized by good health and good nutrition. It's this philosophy that sets us apart from our competition time and time again.
Baja FreshCore Values
At Baja Fresh we believe eating well is a way of life and a state of mind. We always choose the handmade, not the processed. The farm-fresh, not the tin-canned. Flavor and nutrition over fillers and fads. Try Baja Fresh today and discover the difference that fresh food can make.
Baja FreshWhere We Started
The Baja Fresh franchise founders were raised on fast food, like many Americans. However, we realized that it was time for things to change in the fast casual industry. Instead of relying on heavily-processed, frozen, and dehydrated ingredients, we sought to create a restaurant that offered high-quality, fresh menu items.
- The Founders Wanted Something Better
Baja Fresh was born out of frustration at the lack of high-quality fast-casual dining. The founders loved the convenience of being able to grab a quick meal on the go but were frustrated that most of the offerings in their area were made up of heavily-processed ingredients. Menus relied on extra grease and cheese to add flavor rather than healthy and natural ingredients. They aspired to create something better for consumers, and the Baja Fresh franchise brand was born!- We Take Extreme Measures to Help Ensure Freshness
Many restaurants rely on frozen, canned, or processed ingredients because they are cheaper and easier to prepare. At Baja Fresh, we never cut corners when it comes to the freshness of our ingredients. Stop into one of the restaurants and you can taste the difference for yourself! We've searched high and low to find the very best vendors who keep our Baja Fresh franchises stocked with fresh (never frozen) meats, fish, and vegetables. We've streamlined our preparation methods to eliminate waste and help ensure that customers always have the best experience. Restaurants don't even have can openers, microwaves, or freezers!- We Offer a Unique Menu
The Mexican food genre has grown increasingly popular in the United States. There are countless restaurants that offer traditional takes on Mexican classics like refried beans, tacos, and burritos. However, many of these restaurants rely on fatty processed ingredients, leading to relatively homogenous offerings. However, Baja Fresh franchises stand out. We serve Baja-inspired cuisine, meaning creative new takes on favorite dishes. While we still offer old standbys like chicken, beef, and pork; we shake things up by having dishes made with shrimp, wahoo, and fresh veggies. We also offer proprietary dishes like Baja Bowls that can only be found in our franchisees' restaurants. Customers will be delighted not just by our unique menu, but also by the fresh ingredients that lead to great-tasting meals every time.- Our Franchisees Expand Our Baja Fresh Franchise Brand
As Baja Fresh has grown over the years, our franchisees have led the charge, helping us to expand our brand to 27 states, Dubai, and Singapore! The fact that our brand has historically thrived is a testament to the strong relationships we've developed with our franchisees.
The Baja Fresh Logo
1000logosBaja Fresh Began in 1990
The first location of the chain of fast-casual Tex Mex restaurants opened in Newbury Park, California, in the Conejo Valley. Five years later, franchising began.Although the restaurant chain Baja Fresh is only about 30 years old, its logo has gone through several complete overhauls. This is why the current design hardly bears anything in common with the original one.
1990
The first Baja Fresh logo was designed to show what type of food is served there. The green, white, and red stripes were borrowed from the Flag of Mexico. The stripes were rotated 90 degrees, and thin black trim was added to them. In between the two sets of stripes, there was the lettering “Baja” (in green) “Fresh” (in red) and a black rectangle housing the words “Mexican Grill.”1997
As the chain was rapidly growing, the need for a new, more modern and professional brand identity became obvious. The second logo was introduced in 1997 when the chain expanded to 31 outlets.While the stripes disappeared, the company decided to leave the heritage palette so as to make it easier for the customers to create a visual link between the old and new logos. They left the black rectangle with the words “Mexican Grill” adding a dynamic chessboard design to it. The green stroke behind the word “Fresh” also added some dynamism.
2017
The writing “Baja Fresh” was now placed in a light green hexagon with rounded corners. The script was left unchanged, except for the color.
