Start a Fuzzy's Taco Shop Franchise in 2025

2025 Franchise 500 Rank: N/R Ranked #434 last year

Initial investment: $647K - $1.6M

Units as of 2025: 117 14% over 3 years

Founded in Fort Worth, Texas, in 2003, Fuzzy's Taco Shop specializes in Baja-style Mexican cuisine, including tacos, burritos, nachos, quesadillas, salads, and all-day breakfast. Fuzzy's began franchising in 2009, and has grown into a nationally recognized brand offering guests tasty breakfast, lunch, and dinner options along with beer and margaritas. Fuzzy’s Taco Shop restaurants are franchised by affiliates of Pasadena, Calif.-based Dine Brands Global, Inc., with locations across the U.S.

Why You May Want to Start a Fuzzy's Taco Shop Franchise

An ideal Fuzzy's Taco Shop candidate is an individual who appreciates good food, quality service, and growth, all in a colorful and "chilled-out" environment.

As a franchisee, you may find satisfaction seeing customers enjoy their meal on the patio with their kids coloring at the table. By running a Fuzzy's Taco Shop franchise, you may add joy, a sense of togetherness, and flavor to your community.

What Might Make Fuzzy's Taco Shop a Good Choice?

Mexican-inspired fast-casual restaurants are becoming increasingly popular across the U.S. Customers are seeking higher quality and healthier food options than those sold by fast-food restaurants. Being a Fuzzy's Taco Shop franchisee may be a great opportunity to tap into this market shift. Fuzzy's Taco Shop offers menu items that a franchisee might expect from Mexican fast-casual dining, including frozen margaritas.

Fuzzy's Taco Shop has recently rolled out new interior and exterior prototype designs that all locations will use for consistency across the brand. Consistency is also present in the menu and recipes used across all locations.

How Do You Open a Fuzzy's Taco Shop Franchise?

To open a Fuzzy's Taco Shop franchise, make sure you take time to explore the opportunity. Research the business and your local area to see if a franchise would do well in your community. You must choose your location, but Fuzzy's Taco Shop will assist.

Since your contract lasts ten years, take time to assess your passion for being in the restaurant industry. This especially holds importance if you have no prior restaurant experience. You may find owning a restaurant to be more rigorous than you initially thought. Take the opportunity to speak with other franchisees and learn about their experiences.

If Fuzzy's Taco Shop approves of you as a franchisee, you will undergo training. Training includes both classroom and on-the-job training. Soon enough, you'll be able to create your slice of "taco heaven" in a store that is as chill as its margaritas.

Company Overview

About Fuzzy's Taco Shop

Industry	Food
Related Categories	Mexican Food
Founded	2003
Parent Company	Dine Brands Global Inc.
Leadership	Patrick Kirk, President & CMO
Corporate Address	10 W. Walnut St. Pasadena, CA 91103
Social	Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram

Business Overview

Franchising Since	2009 (16 years)
# of employees at HQ	30
Where seeking	This company is offering new franchises throughout the US.
# of Units	117 (as of 2025)

Information for Franchisees

Here's what you need to know if you're interested in opening a Fuzzy's Taco Shop franchise.

Financial Requirements & Ongoing Fees

Here's what you can expect to spend to start the business and what ongoing fees the franchisor charges throughout the life of the business.

Initial Franchise Fee Definition: The initial fee paid to a franchisor to join their system What you need to know: Found in Item 5 of the FDD, this may be a flat fee, or may vary based on territory size, experience, or other factors.The franchise fee is an up-front (one-time) cost that a new franchisee pays to the franchisor. This fee is usually due at the signing of the franchise agreement and covers the right to use the franchisor's trademarks, name, and related business systems.	$40,000
Initial Investment Definition: The total amount necessary to begin operation of the franchise What you need to know: The initial investment includes the franchise fee, along with other startup expenses such as real estate, equipment, supplies, business licenses, and working capital. This is outlined in a chart in Item 7 of the FDD, showing a range of possible costs from low to high.	$647,000 - $1,555,500
Net Worth Requirement Definition: The minimum net worth you must have in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company What you need to know: Net worth is the value of a person's assets minus liabilities. Assets include cash, stocks, retirement accounts, and real estate. Liabilities include items like mortgages, car payments, and credit card debt.	$1,500,000
Cash Requirement Definition: The minimum liquid capital you must have available in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company.	$500,000
Veteran Incentives Definition: A discount or other incentive offered to military veterans who buy a franchise with this company.	$5,000 off franchise fee
Royalty Fee Definition: A ongoing fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis. What you need to know: Most franchisors require franchisees to pay an ongoing royalty fee, which is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD. This fee is typically a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales, but may also be a flat weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	5%
Ad Royalty Fee Definition: An going fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis to support advertising or marketing efforts. What you need to know: This may also be called advertising fee, marketing fee, brand fund fee, and more, but the basic purpose is the same-- to support promotion of the brand systemwide. As with the royalty fee, it is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD, and can be a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales or a weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	2%
Term of Agreement Definition: The length of time your franchise agreement will last. What you need to know: Franchise terms are typically anywhere from 5 to 20 years in length, but are sometimes instead dependent on factors such as the term of your lease. Once your term is up, you may have the option to renew your agreement, typically for a smaller fee than the original franchise fee.	10 years
Is franchise term renewable?	Yes

Financing Options

Some franchisors offer in-house financing, while others have relationships with third-party financing sources to which they refer qualified franchisees.

Third Party Financing	Fuzzy's Taco Shop has relationships with third-party sources which offer financing to cover the following: equipment

Training & Support Offered

Franchisors offer initial training programs and a variety of ongoing support options to help franchisees run their businesses.

On-The-Job Training	185 hours
Classroom Training	16 hours
Ongoing Support	Newsletter Meetings & Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Security & Safety Procedures Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform
Marketing Support	Ad Templates National Media Regional Advertising Social Media SEO Website Development Email Marketing Loyalty Program/App

Operations

Additional details about running this franchise.

Is absentee ownership allowed?	No
Can this franchise be run from home/mobile unit? Definition: The business can be run from your home and/or a vehicle, and it is not necessary to have a retail facility, office space, or warehouse.	No
Can this franchise be run part time? Definition: This business can be run by the owner on a part-time basis (less than 40 hours per week) and/or as a side business; it is not necessary for the business to be open/run full-time.	No
# of employees required to run	25
Are exclusive territories available? Definition: An exclusive territory is a fixed area in which you are given the right to operate and in which no other units of the same franchise may be opened. What you need to know: Territory size may be based on factors such as radius, population size, zip codes, and more. Details can be found in Item 12 of the FDD.	Yes