California Tortilla

California Tortilla, also known as Cal Tort, is an American chain of franchised fast casual Mexican-style restaurants, the first of which was opened in August 1995 in Bethesda, Maryland by business partners Pam Felix and Alan Cohen.^[1] The chain's menu is comparable to that of its competitors, such as Baja Fresh and Chipotle Mexican Grill.^[2] A typical restaurant has 2,500 square feet (230 m²) with seating for 75 people.^[1] California Tortilla was voted by readers of Washingtonian magazine as having the best burritos in both 2009^[3] and 2010,^[4] and "best Mexican" in 2014^[5] and 2015.^[6] In 2019, it was awarded Best Fast Casual by Washington City Paper readers.

California Tortilla Group, Inc.

A California Tortilla in Montgomery County, Maryland.
Trade name	California Tortilla
Company type	Private
Industry	Restaurant Franchising
Genre	Fast casual
Founded	August 4, 1995; 29 years ago (1995-08-04) Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.
Founders	Pam Felix Alan Cohen
Headquarters	Potomac, Maryland , U.S.
Number of locations	39 in U.S. as of Jan 2020; franchised since 2003
Area served	Washington metropolitan area Delaware Valley (NJ & PA) North Jersey South Carolina South Hampton Roads (VA)
Key people	Jennifer Rorie (CEO) Aaron Goldberg (Director) Sara Mahaffey (Director of marketing)
Products	Mexican-style food such as Burritos, salads, etc.
Services	Catering
Revenue	US$99.627 million (2021)
Number of employees	654 (2021)
Website	californiatortilla.com

Locations

California Tortilla has 27 restaurant locations in 6 states (Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, South Carolina), and the District of Columbia.^[7] The chain is headquartered in Potomac, Maryland.^[8]

Atmosphere

The interior of a California Tortilla restaurant

California Tortilla's staff members are encouraged to be "unique" and "fun", which can vary by location. A monthly Taco Talk newsletter was published online and in print for 20 years by co-founder Pam Felix, whose picture appeared for years (along with partner Alan Cohen's) on some of the restaurant's paper goods. With Issue 245, dated December 1, 2015, Felix retired from writing Taco Talk.^[9]

Promotions

Patrons of California Tortilla experience a variety of promotions that offer free food or discount coupons. Some of the promotions are typical of restaurants, such as a free taco to those who join the email list. Other promotions are somewhat unusual, such as Free Pop-Tart Day. In 2008, California Tortilla attempted to break the record for the world's largest rock, paper, scissors game.^[10] Subscribers of the email newsletter receive occasional "secret" promotions, and a "Burrito Elito" loyalty program allows registered customers to receive points, based on pre-tax totals, with each 75 points resulting in a $5 discount.

Year-round promotions include the "Monday Night Mystery Prize Burrito Wheel", where any customer who purchases an entree every Monday night after 5:00 p.m. can spin the wheel and win a prize. The prizes range from a free cookie or brownie to $1 off their next purchase or a free signature salad.^{[citation needed]}

Grand openings

Grand Opening Day in Wichita, KS

To celebrate the opening of a new location, California Tortilla opens with a $5 burrito or bowl day with proceeds from the burrito/bowl donated to a local charity.^{[citation needed]}