Editorial

Latino Flavors Spice Up New Franchise Opportunity!

Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, churros are sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon and best served warm and fresh. A traditional and popular treat, they are enjoyed by Latinos all over the world and a new Franchise company now makes authentic churros available in the U.S.

Americans are always looking for new flavors to savor and Mexican cuisine has been a welcome and popular addition to the U.S. diet. But there’s more to Latino food than tacos and to prove it, Melanie Farkas, a frequent traveler to Mexico, has introduced her Churro Station to both the Latino and non-Latino populations of Northern California.

“We are offering a Franchise Opportunity to minority owners in their own neighborhoods, serving foods they know and love,” says Farkas, Churro Station’s founder and CEO. “Our business started as basically a breakfast business, where the churro replaced a muffin or doughnut. Traditionally the churro goes with a special Mexican hot chocolate drink, which of course is on our menu. But we also have delicious, hearty sandwiches and liquados – fresh fruit smoothies, we serve throughout the day.”

Besides the original store in San Rafael (20 minutes north of the Golden Gate Bridge in Northern California) which is in its fourth year of operation, Churro Station has three franchise units under construction and will have a total of five or six by the end of the year.

“We’ve discovered that everyone loves churros,” says Farkas. “In addition to the customers who come to our store, we sell our products wholesale to businesses like supermarkets and taquerias and institutions like schools. This wholesale opportunity will increase revenue for each franchisee.”

The recipe for the churros is a closely guarded secret. Farkas first discovered churros on her honeymoon to Mexico 25 years ago and has made many trips back to “taste test” every churro she could find. But developing the actual recipe was a challenge. “Flour produced in Mexico is different than ours, which complicated the process,” says Farkas, “and we needed to buy very specialized equipment. We had to fine tune everything throughout our first year but we are very proud of our final product. I think it’s the best churro anywhere.”

If the idea of a warm, crispy churro sounds good but you’re not interested in any dessert that doesn’t contain chocolate, don’t worry! There are filled churros as well including chocolate, cajeta – a thick caramel filling, and others.

Farkas is looking forward to adding more franchised units to the Churro Station family, both in California and in other states, particularly those with large Hispanic populations such as Nevada, Arizona and Texas. “All of our employees are bilingual so we’re not only making this opportunity very accessible to minority franchise owners,” says Farkas, “we are also offering people who are far away from home something that reminds them of home.”

Churro Station is looking for franchisees who want to be located in underserved neighborhoods and have a desire to serve a high quality, unique product. The corporate office in Corte Madera will provide you with support – everything from finding a location, to working with contractors and architects. They provide training for a week at headquarters and provide everything you need to run your business.

“Our business evolved from satisfying customer requests,” says Farkas. “When people would come in for breakfast on their way to work, they’d ask us if we could pack them a lunch to take with them as well. Now, providing lunches is a big part of our business. We will continue to listen to our customers and respond to their needs.

“We are offering the opportunity to get in on the ground floor of a new and distinctive business that will grow and improve every year,” adds Farkas. “We give our owners exclusive territories so they never have to worry about another Churro Station encroaching on their customers. My personal philosophy is to be there for every franchisee. We want to be sure they have the tools to be successful.”

There’s no doubt that the market for Mexican food will continue to grow. The UPI reported last month that the U.S. market for Hispanic foods is increasing dramatically and could be worth $25 billion by 2015. A study showed that “Latin-themed quick-service restaurants have been growing twice as fast as other quick-service restaurants overall.” The October 30, 2006 issue of Time magazine says that the Hispanic population (44.2 million) is the second largest in the U.S. and the fastest growing. The only question seems to be: Who will enjoy the rewards of spotting this trend in the early stages?

If you add the popularity of churros to a steadily-growing Latino population, you can understand why a Churro Station could be a wonderful investment for someone with a strong desire to own a cutting-edge business in a booming but underserved market. To taste a churro, says Farkas, is to become a fan of the fantástico and delicioso treat.