Zambrero, the quick service Mexican restaurant franchise with a humanitarian focus, cemented its position as one of Australia’s fastest growing businesses by making the BRW Fast 100 list for the fourth consecutive year yesterday.
Founded in 2005, Zambrero debuted on the list in 2011 at number 4 and stayed in the top five for the following two years. It ranks number 40 on the 2014 Fast 100, having achieved 78% growth and $10,036,052 turnover in 2013-14. It is among just a third of the 2014 companies that also featured on last year’s Fast 100.
Launched in 1990 as the BRW – PwC Top 100 Private Companies (ranked on growth from 1985 to 1989), the Fast 100 list is a reflection of nearly three decades of growth and entrepreneurial spirit in Australia. The BRW Fast 100 list is ranked according to the average revenue growth between each of the four years since 2010-11 (minimum $500,000 turnover).
“Zambrero’s continual success is driven by our mission to provide both good food as well as food that does good,” said General Manager Karim Messih. “We’re opening at the rate of one restaurant a week and plan to expand from 57 to 300 restaurants over the next seven years and to continue our international expansion.”
Zambrero opened its first overseas restaurant in July this year in Bangkok, with five more opening there by early 2015, and the first of six New Zealand restaurants will open this November. In the pipeline for next year are the US, the Middle East and India, and then Zambrero will turn its focus to China.
Since 2005 Zambrero’s Plate 4 Plate charity initiative – where one meal is donated to someone in need for every burrito or Mexican salad bowl sold at Zambrero – has provided more than 3 million meals to those living in poverty around the world. Recently Zambrero’s humanitarian program expanded from Africa, Asia, the Americas to Australia, acknowledging more than two million Australians now access food relief each year.