Australian Franchise News – 13-03-12
At the end of 2011 Mad Mex had served over 2 million Mexican meals across their 15 locations nationally and in March 2012 they sold their one-millionth Burrito! Mad Mex is the first of the fast-casual Mexican food brands that have emerged in Australia over the past decade to rapidly expand interstate, and is the fastest growing (#12 of BRW Fast 100 list), positioning itself to become the dominant player in its category.
Mad Mex Fresh Mexican Grill starts 2012 with a promise to continue to lead the Mexican sector with three new stores opening, the first in the southern Sydney suburb of Cronulla followed by the ever popular inner city Newtown dining hub and heading far west to finish up the month in Subiaco, WA. Each store location has been targeted for their demographics, foot traffic, convenience and on the back of customer demand. Founder, Clovis Young, intends to continue with this rigorous property selection strategy to achieve his ambition to double the amount of Mad Mex locations this year to 30 stores.
Since their first store opening in Darlinghurst 2007, Mad Mex has identified their top five key precincts in each state that they are targeting for expansion. Key factors in selecting the right location includes finding areas that offer an established lunch and dinner trade seven days a week, attracts the key demographic of 20 – 40 years old and is in an area where young people flock. Once identifying these key areas, Mad Mex seeks out the best specific properties in the precinct to open a store and has in the past been prepared to wait up to two years for the right space. As the business has expanded Mad Mex is now being recognised and approached by shopping centres who are strategically re-configuring their food/retail mix to capitalise on the clientele that Mad Mex attracts.
Mad Mex already enjoys a popular presence in the Hills and CBD of Sydney, so when it came to targeting a new location Mad Mex looked to the South of Sydney. The Sutherland Shire has always had a strong Mexican food presence and fits the Mad Mex core demographic. After a year of searching for the right property, Mad Mex is excited to be able to give the Shire a store to call home. Opening on the 12th March in the bustling Cronulla Mall near Woolworths on Cronulla Street, this location will be sure to captivate beach crowds, shoppers from the mall and the night life scene. Located near the Cronulla train station the store is easily accessible for those on the way home from work. Mad Mex is confident it’s healthy Baja Californian style cuisine will resonate with the local beach culture and café lifestyle.
After the successful first store opening in Hillary’s less than six months ago, Mad Mex has announced they will open a second store on the West Coast in Perth’s inner western suburb of Subiaco. Located on the dynamic and sought after Hay Street, close to the Regal Theatre and Subiaco Oval, Mad Mex will be open for business on the 26th March. A popular destination on the weekends, Subiaco was considered an attractive location with many new businesses opening within the area. Launching with a campaign opening offer of $5 burritos, Mad Mex is delivering Perth residents a desirable and accessible food offering.
King Street in Newtown is considered the number one precinct for fast casual dining as well as restaurant quality food. After two years of searching and 6 months of negotiation, Mad Mex are excited to announce they have secured a store located on King Street near the corner of Missenden Road. This location offers the unique advantage of over 8 metres of street frontage and is easily accessible to the numerous university students and hospital staff that frequent the Newtown locale. Opening their doors on the 2nd March, Mad Mex feels this new store will be a key player in the Newtown dining scene.
Mad Mex CEO, Clovis Young says, “A large part of the reason I started Mad Mex four years ago was the absence of authentic, fresh and healthy Mexican food in Australia at the time. It is great to see how positive the business has been received by customers who enjoy our delicious and healthy cuisine. Due to customer demand, we are expanding at a rapid rate in order to deliver authentic Mexican cuisine to as many Australians as possible.”
2011 saw the company grow to fifteen stores across Australia with more locations set to open this year proving this BRW’s Fast 100 Company is the one to watch in 2012.