Formerly | Mendocino Farms Sandwich Market |
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Type | Privately held company |
Industry | Food and Beverage |
Founded | 2005Los Angeles, California [1] | in
Founders |
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Headquarters | Los Angeles , United States [2] |
Number of locations | 54 (11 upcoming) (2023) |
Area served |
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Key people |
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Brands | Blue Cow Kitchen [3] |
Revenue | $1.6 million [4] (2006) |
Owner | TPG Inc. |
Website | www |
Mendocino Farms, colloquially shortened to Mendo, and formerly Mendocino Farms Sandwich Market, [5] is a fast casual restaurant chain based in the Western United States mainly selling sandwiches and salads. The company uses earth-grown and nonmodified ingredients, sourcing them locally. [1] [4] Private equity firm TPG Inc. holds a majority stake in the company.
The restaurants themselves are mainly designed by John Kim, who uses eco-friendly materials to create a country aesthetic. [6]
The first restaurant was opened in 2005, by the couple Mario Del Pero and Ellen Chen-Del Pero. [7] Del Pero grew up in Mendocino County, where his father owned a century-old meat company. After graduating from USC, he decided to start his own food concept. After interviewing people in the industry, Del Pero started working at Sharkeez in Newport Beach, California, which was founded by his best friend's father. In 1998, he then opened Skew's, a teriyaki restaurant. After growing it to three locations, Del Pero and his wife sold it in 2001 and used the assets to create Mendocino Farms. The first location was in an unpopular 900 square feet (84 m2) [2] area below the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. Starbucks, the previous owner of the property, had bailed the location. [4]
In 2010, the company made a deal with the firm L Catterton to help with expansion. It then became an important investor. [8] [4] Whole Foods Market made a minor investment in the restaurant as well, and the first Mendocino Farms inside a Whole Foods opened in 2016, although Chen-Del Pero stated that they were strategically choosing locations. [9] [2] [10] TPG Inc. bought a majority stake in the chain from Catterton in 2017. The former CEO of Yard House, Harald Herrmann, was appointed as CEO after the exchange. [11]
Mendocino Farms constantly changes its menu every six to eight weeks, [5] but popular items include: [1]
A kid's menu is also offered, with a purchase of a sandwich or salad on Tuesdays allowing them to eat free.
In California, the chain mainly centers around the population centers of Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, Sacramento, and San Francisco.
As of 2023, its locations in Texas are found in Houston and the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, and Washington eateries are only in Seattle. [1]
The company was included in Nation's Restaurant News' 2013 50 Hottest Emerging Concepts. [12] The founders, Mario Del Pero and Ellen Chen-Del Pero were also featured in the website's Power List 2016. [13]
Midwestern cuisine is a regional cuisine of the American Midwest. It draws its culinary roots most significantly from the cuisines of Central, Northern and Eastern Europe, and Indigenous cuisine of the Americas, and is influenced by regionally and locally grown foodstuffs and cultural diversity.
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