Mike’s Red Tacos Signs 36-Unit Florida Franchise Deal

Mike’s Red Tacos has signed a 36-unit development agreement with Built Different Brands to expand across greater Tampa, greater Orlando and Florida’s East Coast. Reported on 22 October 2026, the agreement puts an experienced multi-brand franchise operator behind the birria specialist’s Florida expansion, with the first restaurant expected to open in 2027.

An experienced operator takes on Florida

Built Different Brands, led by chief executive Kal Gullapalli, currently operates more than 80 restaurants across concepts including Dave’s Hot Chicken, Marco’s Pizza and PopUp Bagels. Its agreement with Mike’s Red Tacos adds another restaurant brand to that portfolio and establishes a multi-year development commitment across several Florida markets.

The planned 36 restaurants will not open simultaneously. The first is expected in 2027, with the remaining locations following over several years. The agreement is among the largest single-market commitments Mike’s Red Tacos has announced to date.

For the US franchise community, the identity of the development partner is a significant part of the announcement. This is not a first-time operator entering restaurant ownership through a single location: Built Different Brands already manages a substantial restaurant portfolio across multiple concepts.

That existing portfolio provides context for the scale of the commitment. It does not, however, establish how quickly the Florida restaurants will open or how they will perform. The announced timetable remains a first opening in 2027 followed by a phased rollout.

From a food truck to a national development pipeline

Mike’s Red Tacos began as a San Diego food truck in 2021 and opened its first permanent restaurant in August 2022. The brand has since accumulated more than 350 committed locations nationwide, extending its development reach from California to New England and now into Florida.

Its growth has been accompanied by recognition: Mike’s Red Tacos appeared on Yelp’s Top 100 US Restaurants list in 2023 and received Nation’s Restaurant News’ Hot Concept designation in 2026.

The Florida agreement follows earlier development deals covering Chicago, Detroit, the Twin Cities, Austin and Boston. It also follows a 22-unit agreement for Texas and Northern California announced in August 2026.

Together, those commitments show the geographical breadth of the brand’s expansion plans. They should not be confused with an operating restaurant count. The figure of more than 350 refers to committed locations, rather than confirmation that those restaurants are already trading.

That distinction matters when assessing an emerging franchise brand. Development agreements describe the intended network; actual openings demonstrate how those commitments are being converted into businesses serving customers.

Birria’s growing menu presence provides context

The Florida deal comes as birria becomes more widely represented on US restaurant menus. According to Datassential figures cited in the announcement’s coverage, birria now appears on 3.7% of US menus, more than four times its share in 2022.

That data provides a useful backdrop to Mike’s Red Tacos’ expansion. It indicates that the food category underpinning the brand is appearing on substantially more menus than it did four years earlier.

Menu penetration is not, however, the same measure as customer spending, restaurant profitability or franchisee returns. The 3.7% figure describes how widely birria appears on menus; it does not establish the likely sales of the planned Florida restaurants.

For prospective operators, the distinction separates a broader food trend from the commercial assessment of an individual franchise opportunity. Growing familiarity with a menu category can be relevant to an expansion plan, but it is not a substitute for evaluating the business itself.

Openings will be the next milestone

The next concrete milestone for the Florida agreement is the first expected opening in 2027. Subsequent openings will show how the 36-unit commitment progresses across greater Tampa, greater Orlando and the East Coast over the following years.

For Mike’s Red Tacos, the deal adds a sizeable Florida commitment to an already geographically dispersed development pipeline. For Built Different Brands, it represents a further multi-brand expansion backed by its existing restaurant operating experience.

Practical takeaway: Franchise candidates assessing this announcement should distinguish signed development commitments from open restaurants, track delivery against the opening timetable and evaluate location-level economics separately from the growing popularity of birria.