Shake Shack, Toks and Panda Express open eight restaurants in Mexico

Grupo Gigante opened eight restaurants in Mexico during the third quarter of 2026. Between July and September, it added four Shake Shack locations, three Toks restaurants and one Panda Express as part of its strategy to expand these brands’ presence in the food and beverage market.

Shake Shack leads the new openings

Shake Shack accounted for half of the eight restaurant openings reported by the group. With four additional locations during the quarter, it recorded the most openings of the three brands covered by the announcement.

Toks added three restaurants, while Panda Express added one location. This spread shows that expansion was not confined to a single chain: Grupo Gigante expanded three brands with distinct profiles within its food and beverage portfolio at the same time.

The stated aim is to broaden its presence and reach more consumers through new locations. Shake Shack’s four openings also reflect the chain’s importance to the group’s strategy for expanding the presence of international restaurant brands in Mexico.

For the franchise sector, these developments provide a concrete indication of restaurant chain expansion. The key figure refers to outlets opened during a single quarter, not a forecast of future openings or an offer of franchises available to investors.

Openings alongside portfolio adjustments

The restaurant figures also include the closure of one Toks location during the same period. The eight openings should therefore be understood as gross additions, rather than an equivalent net increase in the restaurant network.

This distinction matters when assessing a chain’s growth. In Toks’ case, the group reported both the addition of three restaurants and the closure of one: reporting only the openings would leave out part of the quarter’s operational changes.

The adjustments were not limited to restaurants. Grupo Gigante reported the closure of six RadioShack shops, one Office Depot outlet, one Huawei outlet and one Xiaomi outlet, as well as three SET car parks.

The expansion of Shake Shack, Toks and Panda Express therefore took place alongside changes in the group’s other businesses. The figures describe a portfolio with both additions and closures, rather than uniform growth across all its brands.

A business extending beyond restaurants

At the end of September 2026, Grupo Gigante reported 663 outlets, with 430,457 square metres of sales floor space and 45,447 seats. These figures cover its wider operations and should not be attributed solely to the three restaurant chains.

In addition, there are 163 Petco shops and 11 Casaideas shops operated under a business partnership arrangement. Alongside its food and beverage brands, the group’s portfolio includes specialist retail and property activities.

This breadth helps put the eight openings into perspective: restaurants form part of a business structure spanning several areas of activity. The group’s overall size is therefore not equivalent to the size of its Toks, Shake Shack and Panda Express network.

For those tracking brand expansion in Mexico, distinguishing between these two levels makes it easier to identify exactly what changed during the quarter: eight new restaurants across three chains, within a diversified business.

Financial results provide context for growth

During the third quarter of 2026, Grupo Gigante recorded total revenue of MXN 9,939.7 million, up 1.3% on the same period in 2025. Like-for-like sales rose by 2.3%.

For the first nine months of the year, revenue reached MXN 27,050.3 million, while like-for-like sales increased by 1.7%. These are group-level indicators; they do not represent the individual results of Shake Shack, Toks or Panda Express, nor do they establish a specific contribution from the new openings.

Practical takeaway: when comparing expansion plans in the franchise sector, it is worth distinguishing between openings, closures and consolidated results. In this case, the eight openings demonstrate expansion activity, but they are no substitute for assessing each brand’s operations and performance.