Chilango owner says brand ‘could become the next Chipotle'

"Our goal is to have more sites than Barburrito before the end of 2021 and become larger than Tortilla before 2025," said Sameer Rizvi, chief executive of Chilango owner RD Capital Partners.

Writing in the investment group's annual letter, Rizvi described the Mexican restaurant chain, which the group bought out of administration in August, as "one of the strongest brands in the UK hospitality sector".

He said: "We have a strong operating business, all of the brand recognition and brand identity, renewed leases at favourable terms, a clean balance sheet with no debt, a trimmed head office and an extremely bright future."

The group's growth strategy for the brand will focus on site selection, minimising risk by getting Deliveroo data on area sales and testing new locations by opening low-capex kitchens, and focusing site and earnings growth on its highest return-on-investment sites.

Rizvi added that he had "no doubt that Chilango could become the next Chipotle" and wants the 14-strong group to become one of the three largest Mexican restaurant groups in the UK.