# Cafe Rio Fresh Modern Mexican

> Cafe Rio Fresh Modern Mexican is a Salt Lake City-based fast-casual chain built on a simple, unusual promise for the category: no freezers, no microwaves, and every tortilla rolled and cooked in front of you. Founded in St. George, Utah in 1997 by chef Steve Stanley and his wife Tricia, the company has grown to roughly 160-plus restaurants across 11 Western and Mid-Atlantic states, anchored by a cult-favorite Sweet Pork Barbacoa and a rewards program that drives about half of all transactions.

- **Founded:** 1997
- **Headquarters:** Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
- **Founders:** Steve Stanley (Co-Founder), Tricia Stanley (Co-Founder)
- **Team size:** ~1,900 employees
- **Products:** Sweet Pork Barbacoa, Fresh Modern Mexican menu, My Rio Rewards, Cafe Rio mobile app, Catering
- **Notable:** Grew from a single St. George, Utah storefront in 1997 to roughly 160-plus restaurants across 11 states., Weekly sales at the first location reportedly rose more than 100% in its first year., Expanded footprint over 50% in the five years leading up to 2023.

## Products & services

- **Sweet Pork Barbacoa** — The signature dish - slow-braised, sweet-sauced pulled pork served in burritos (often baked enchilada-style), salads, tacos and quesadillas.
- **Fresh Modern Mexican menu** — Burritos, enchiladas, tacos, quesadillas, tostadas, salads, soups, desserts and beverages, prepared fresh daily with tortillas pressed and cooked to order.
- **My Rio Rewards** — Loyalty program: earn 1 point per $1 spent, redeem 100 points for a $10 credit. Accounts for roughly half of all transactions.
- **Cafe Rio mobile app** — Ordering, curbside pickup, order tracking, kiosk QR access and rewards management.
- **Catering** — Family, group and event catering including build-your-own bars and meal deals.
- **Digital Cafe format** — Newer restaurant design optimized for digital and pickup orders, delivering roughly 20% higher average unit volume than traditional formats.

## Achievements

- Grew from a single St. George, Utah storefront in 1997 to roughly 160-plus restaurants across 11 states.
- Weekly sales at the first location reportedly rose more than 100% in its first year.
- Expanded footprint over 50% in the five years leading up to 2023.
- Built a loyalty program that accounts for approximately 50% of transactions.
- Newer digital-format restaurants achieve about 20% higher average unit volume than traditional stores.

## Latest updates

- **2026-06** — New CEO Mike Burns, formerly of &pizza, addresses a ~2.3% same-store sales dip, attributing it to lapping heavy 2025 marketing and discounting and signaling a shift toward loyalty-driven frequency over discounts.
- **2026-01** — Longtime CEO Steve Vaughan departs; leadership transition begins.
- **2023-08** — Opened its 50th restaurant in Utah (Millcreek) amid a wave of new locations across Idaho, Nevada and Arizona.

## Links

- Website: https://caferio.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cafe-rio
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/caferio
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/caferiomexicangrill
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caferio/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/CafeRio
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@caferio

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Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-13