How a 35-year-old American replaced Baritos in a million-dollar business in India

California Bertito is a popular Mexican Fast-Food Chain in India, famous for its Buritos, Rice Bows, Tacos, Salad and Nachos. While the food is undeniably delicious, the story behind the series is equally compelling. The enterprise was established by Burt Muller, an American entrepreneur, identified the ability to introduce Mexican cuisine in India and create a rich business.

Muller’s visit to India began in 2010 when he arrived through a study abroad. He spent six months with an Indian family in Jaipur, as he shared in a podcast organized by a Canadian Kaleb F this, a Canadian living in India. Impressed by culture and opportunities in India, he decided to build a business here. Given the abundance of burgers, pizza, and fried chicken outlets, but the lack of Mexican food options, he sought to address the difference in the market. This vision created California Bertito.

Muller co-established the enterprise with fellow Americans Dharma Khalsa and Galen Draper. Each partner invested USD $ 15,000, and successfully raised an additional USD 250,000 from family and friends through a tumbller blog, which documented their startup journey.

Also read:How a French made a sandwich business of Rs 50 crore in Bengaluru

Initially, the three planned to open their first restaurant in Gurugram, but eventually chose Bengaluru due to more affordable real estate. Although he initially targeted the Orion Mall, he eventually launched his first outlet at the embassy Golflink Tech Park in front of Goldman Sachs.

The first California Bertito outlet quickly became popular. In the first three months, the restaurant was a 150 order average per hour, all without any formal marketing. Muller and Draper also worked behind the counter, serving Buritos to customers.

In the early days, the mueler and a team members personally sour material. He bought a Maruti Omni van and made biping trips to local markets to stock up vegetables, an experience that shaped the company’s attention on the strong unit economics.

Muller admitted that the IT professionals had disposables and had a desire to try new dishes, even though some have initially tried to eat buritos with a fork.

California Burtito also entered the corporate catering space, supplying Burtitos to companies such as Zinga. After opening two additional outlets in Bengaluru, founders won the USD 750,000 WASD in 2013, headed by entrepreneur and Angel investor Adhwith Dhaddu. This fresh capital enabled California Bertito to expand to 15 places, working on a company -owned, company operated (cocoa) model.

By 2020, the brand was concluding. February has so far marked its best month, generating Rs 4 crore in revenue in 37 shops. Today, California Bertito has expanded over 50 outlets in Bengaluru, National Capital Region (NCR), Hyderabad and Chennai.