California Tortilla

California Tortilla is a fast casual Fresh Mex restaurant chain that started in Bethesda, Maryland in 1995. Its menu is similar to competitors, such as Baja Fresh and Chipotle Mexican Grill. The chain is looking to expand into other geographical areas through franchising. [ [http://www.californiatortilla.com/franchising-opportunities.html California Tortilla Franchising Opportunities] ] . California Tortilla began expansion efforts in 2000.

The chain was named best "Cheap Eats" in the 2006 "Washington Post" Best Bets Reader's Choice feature; the paper wrote, "this friendly local chain aims to please." [ [http://www.washingtonpost.com//wp-srv/cityguide/bestbets/2006/results/front.html?id=810005 2006 Cheap Eats Winners] , "The Washington Post". Retrieved January 1, 2007] . Voted # 1 in Washingtonian's Best of Washington 2008 Online Reader's Poll for Best Place for Great Vegetarian Food and Best Casual Place for Kids. [ [http://www.washingtonian.com/blogarticles/artsfun/afterhours/8199.html] , "Washingtonian Magazine".]

Locations

Currently, California Tortilla has 37 restaurant locations. The world headquarters is located in Rockville, Maryland.
DELAWARE
Newark

MARYLAND
Annapolis
Baltimore
Bethesda
Bowie
Burnt Mills (Silver Spring)
BWI Airport
College Park
Columbia
Frederick
Gaithersburg
Germantown
Laurel
Olney
Potomac
Quarry Lake
Rockville
Waldorf
PENNSYLVANIA
Doylestown
Royersford
VIRGINIA
Arlington
Ashburn Village
Brambleton
Bristow
Dulles Airport
Dulles 28 Town Center
Fairfax
Lansdowne
Leesburg
Manassas
National Airport
Oakton
Reston
Williamsburg
WASHINGTON, DC
Chinatown
Cleveland Park
WEST VIRGINIA
Ranson

Atmosphere

The atmosphere in California Tortilla restaurants is "spunky" according the company itself. The restaurant is decorated in bright, bold colors and patterns. Simple things such as pens to sign credit card slips are held to the counter by a large heavy chain to add a fun edge. Signs are also worded in a humorous way. The staff members are encouraged to be unique and fun, which can variey by location. There is a fun, perky newsletter that gets published online & in print monthly called Taco Talk, written by Pam Felix,the founder , and whose picture appears (with her partner, Alan Cohen) on all the paper goods. It's all part of the fun.

Menu

The menu consists of a variety of Mexican food. The following are some of the items offered at all California Tortilla locations.
*Classic & Specialty Burritos
*Fajitas
*Quesadillas
*Salads
*Tacos
*Sides & Extras

The biggest focus of the menu at California Tortilla is on the specialty burritos. The most popular burrito is the Blackened Chicken Caesar Burrito, while the Honey Lime and Crunchy BBQ Ranch are also big favorites. The restaurant also features a limited time offers, such as the current The Pulled Pork BBQ Burrito.

Promotions

Patrons of California Tortilla experience a wide variety of promotions that offer free food or coupons. Some of the promotions are typical restaurant promotions, such as buy 7 burritos and get the 8th free. Other promotions are very unusual, such as Free Pop-tart Day.This year Califronia Tortilla attemped to break The World's Largest Rock, Paper, Scissors Game record (results pending from Guinness). If you are a member of the email Taco Talk (non-spam) list, there are "secret" promotions that appear from time to time as well.

Year-round promotions include:
*Monday Night Mystery Prize Burrito Wheel - Every Monday night after 5 pm, anyone who purchases a burrito can spin the wheel and win a prize. The prizes range from a free cookie or brownie to a dollar amount off your purchase or a signature salad.

Grand Openings

At most new California Tortilla Grand Openings, patrons who stop by between 11am-1:30pm and 5pm-8pm receive any free burrito of choice and a soda (the store is not open for any other regular business on Grand Opening Day). The first ten people in line at 11am will receive one free burrito every week for a year, while the next 20 in line will receive one free burrito every week for a month. It is common for yearly burrito winners to start camping out in front of the store the night before, so if you want to win, be sure to get there early.

References

*California Tortilla. California Tortilla - Specialty Burritos Are Our Specialty. (Retrieved Jan. 2007) http://www.californiatortilla.com/index.html
*Donahue, Mary. Silver Chips Online. "The best of the burritos: Determining the best burrito in Blair area". Dec. 20, 2005. (Retrieved Jan. 2007) http://silverchips.mbhs.edu/inside.php?sid=6031
*The Burrito Blog. (Retrieved May 2007) http://www.burritoblog.com/multi_state_chains/california_tortilla/
*Washingtonian Best Of Washington 2008 Online Reader's Poll. (Retrieved July 2008)http://www.washingtonian.com/blogarticles/artsfun/afterhours/8199.html

External links

* [http://www.californiatortilla.com/index.html California Tortilla] - Official web site