Mesquite Fresh Street Mex, the fast-growing Phoenix-based chain, is getting ready to expand significantly throughout the area, with plans to build its own locations moving forward.
The company started in Old Town Scottsdale and has already opened 10 locations in the Phoenix metro. While they have already announced new locations coming to Tolleson and Laveen later this year, Mesquite Fresh is getting ready to open its first location that will be entirely developed by the company on 40th and Washington Streets in Phoenix, according to the Business Journal. They plan to move Speedy’s Street Tacos, another concept from the owners, into a new building next door this month and rename it under the Mesquite Fresh branding.
“We’re going to be developing our own buildings and growing a real estate portfolio as we continue to grow the brand,” co-owner Ahmad Alatrash said in an interview with the Business Journal. “I think it was just kind of time for us to make this move. We’re still a young company, so let’s start now before we get to 100 locations.”
This is the first of many the company plans to develop and build on its own. While this expansion is still in its early phase, the company is already targeting real estate in Ahwatukee, Queen Creek, and the northwest section of the Valley. Founders Alatrash and his brother, Nas, opened Mesquite Fresh in 2015 and recently signed a sponsorship deal with Grand Canyon University and its athletic department. The company has also recently begun focusing on smaller locations featuring a drive-through.
“The more locations we opened, the more confidence we gained and the more we shaped up the brand,” Alatrash said. “Over the years, our business decisions changed, so we ended up doing the freestanding drive-thrus. And now we are turning into developers.”
