The West Coast-born Mendocino Farms is planning to pick up the pace on growth in 2025, moving into the new markets of Colorado and Illinois for the first time.
The Los Angeles-based fast-casual sandwich chain ended 2024 with 75 locations, adding 11 restaurants last year. For 2025, which marks the chain’s 20th anniversary, Mendo, as it is more commonly known, expects to open 15 new restaurants, growing in the existing markets of California, Washington and Texas, and opening for the first time in Denver and Chicago.
CEO Kevin Miles said he hopes to reach 150 units within five years, with expansion continuing to spread to the East, eventually becoming a national chain. All units are company owned, and there are no immediate plans to franchise…