Cafe Rio

Cafe Rio

Type	Restaurant
Industry	Casual dining restaurant
Founded	1997
Headquarters	Cottonwood Heights, Utah
Website	www.caferio.com

Cafe Rio is a fast casual restaurant chain prominent in the Western United States with branches in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, Maryland, Utah, Virginia, and Idaho, serving a variety of Mexican-style food. As of September 2011, the chain has 43 restaurants. The 44th and 45th locations are expected to open in Great Falls, Montana and Seven Corners, Virginia in the coming year.

History

Cafe Rio was started in 1997 by Steve and Tricia Stanley in St. George, Utah. In December 2004, Bob and Kathleen Nilsen, along with SKM/Apax Partners purchased the chain, which at the time had six restaurants. The company expanded operations and currently has 44 operating restaurants. Cafe Rio’s recipes are inspired from the traditional cooking of the Rio Grande region of Northern Mexico, Southern Texas and New Mexico.

Locations

The company has locations in:

• Arizona
• California
• Colorado
• Idaho
• Maryland
• Nevada
• Utah
• Virginia
• Wyoming
• Montana

Menu

The menu comprises traditional recipes and techniques inspired from the Rio Grande Valley regions of Northern Mexico, Texas and New Mexico, and all food is made fresh daily from scratch - the green chilies are imported from Hatch, New Mexico, and the red peppers are from Mexico.

Awards

• Utah Business Magazine Top 100 Fastest Growing 2006 #20
• INC 500 Fastest Growing Private Companies 2004
• City Weekly 2007 – Best Burrito
• City Weekly 2005 – Best Burrito
• City Weekly 2004 – Best Burrito
• Best of City Search 2006/07 – Best Mexican Food
• Best of City Search 2006/07 – Best Burrito
• Best of City Search 2006/07 – Best Salad
• Best of City Search 2006/07 – Best Outdoor Seating
• Best of City Search 2005 – Highly Recommended^{[citation needed]}

References

• "Official website". http://www.caferio.com. Retrieved 2 January 2008. 
• "Cafe Rio official is presented a national award". Deseret News (Salt Lake City). 2007-05-05. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_20070505/ai_n19061964. Retrieved 2 January 2008. 
• "Taylorsville Cafe Rio boosts economy". Salt Lake Community College Globe. 2006-04-13. http://media.www.slccglobelink.com/media/storage/paper442/news/2006/04/13/News/Taylorsville.Cafe.Rio.Boosts.Economy-1846528.shtml. Retrieved 2 January 2008. 
• "Café Rio creates scholarships for American Indian students". The Daily Utah Chronicle. 2006-01-12. http://media.www.dailyutahchronicle.com/media/storage/paper244/news/2006/01/12/News/Caf-Rio.Creates.Scholarships.For.American.Indian.Students-1340752.shtml. Retrieved 2 January 2008. 
• "MWVG Honor's Utah's Fastest Growing Companies". 2003-11-19. http://www.connect-utah.com/article.asp?r=198. Retrieved 2 January 2008.