Fast-casual Mexican restaurant business Tortilla saw sales soar in the first half of 2026, with trading having “accelerated materially” following the expansion of its delivery model.
Like-for-like sales for the year to 28 June 2026 increased 13.9%, supported by volume growth of 4.8%.
In the 12 weeks to 22 March, UK like-for-like sales rose 6.7%, with in-store sales up 6% and delivery up 8.2%.
Since expanding to a multi-aggregator delivery model in week 13 of 2026, which saw Tortilla listed simultaneously on Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat, the business said trading had “accelerated materially”.
UK like-for-like sales for the 14 weeks to 28 June jumped by 19.7, with like-for-like delivery sales up 54.1%.
The group also achieved a “significant milestone”, with system sales surpassing £100m in June 2026.
It follows “strong trading” in the year to 28 December 2025, when group revenue increased 8.5% to £73.8m. Tortilla said this was primarily driven by UK sales growth from improved food and customer experience, and digital and delivery expansion.
In 2025, total group system sales rose 9.2% to £98.3m, with total UK like-for-like sales up 6.2% for the year. The business said it “significantly outperformed” the CGA benchmark, which reported a 1.3% decline over the same period.
Across the UK franchise network, like-for-like sales increased 4.5%, while globally, weekly sales records were achieved across 13 franchise locations.
UK adjusted EBITDA rose 21.15% to £6.3m, which the group said reflected sales growth from continued improvement in its food offering, sustained investment in kiosks, loyalty and brand initiatives, improved delivery economics and tight cost control.
However, group generated adjusted EBITDA declined 75.5% to £1.1m in the year, following a £5.2m loss in France, following full-year consolidation of Mexican restaurant group Fresh Burritos and “continued underperformance” of non-converted stores.
“2025 was a year of progress and of difficult lessons in equal measure,” said Tortilla founder and group CEO Brandon Stephens. “In the UK, the business stabilised and returned to in-store volume growth in the second half of the year, supported by sustained investment in food quality, kiosks, loyalty and brand initiatives.
“Tortilla UK outperformed the wider eating out market during this period and exited the year with positive momentum that has continued to build in 2026, with LFLs of 13.9% for H1. This performance reflects both the resilience of our core proposition and the dedication of our teams.”
Stephens, who founded Tortilla and previously served as CEO until 2014, was appointed group CEO in February to lead the company’s “next phase of development”.
His appointment came amid a string of leadership changes at Tortilla, as former Leon managing director Mac Plumpton was appointed UK CEO, while Marta Pogroszewska, who previously held the position of managing director at Gail’s parent company, Bread Holdings, joined the board as non-executive director.
Under the refreshed leadership team, the company set out five key strategic initiatives to focus on, including to enhance and broaden the food offering over the next 18 months, and to address the short tail of underperforming UK stores to eliminate loss-making sites.
Stephens added: “While the consumer environment remains challenging, I am confident in the agenda we have set: the reset is not a reduction in our ambition, but a change in how we will deliver against it. The group is now well positioned to deliver sustainable growth in the UK and across Europe, and renewed credibility with all our stakeholders.”
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