Pancheros Awards Twin Cities Multi-unit Owner Franchisee of the Year

CORALVILLE, Iowa – Pancheros Mexican Grill, widely known for its fresh-pressed tortillas, perfectly-mixed burritos and fan-favorite queso, recently named Bob Thomson, the 93-year-old entrepreneur building Pancheros’ presence in the Twin Cities, as the 2019 “Franchisee of the Year.”

Awarded annually, the honor is presented to a franchisee who demonstrates strong sales performance, significant year-over-year growth, high customer satisfaction, contribution to the Pancheros brand awareness and dedication to the menu’s principle of simplicity.

Thomson, who owns Pancheros locations in Fridley, Bloomington, Golden Valley, Brooklyn Park, and Arden Hills, earned the honor for his operational expertise and dedication to his five area Pancheros restaurants and the 60 staff members he employs. The award also signified his unwavering commitment to building the brand’s footprint and loyal customer base.

In 2019, Thomson opened two new Pancheros locations in Brooklyn Park and Arden Hills. Together, Thomson and his team have achieved several other major restaurant victories across the five Minnesota locations. The team’s major accomplishments include an industry leading retention rate of managers, significant increase in customer traffic, as well as new community giveback partnerships with local organizations, including the Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity.

“Receiving this award is truly an honor – an honor to myself, director of operations Craig Noah and our entire team,” said Thomson. “I've been in the restaurant business for over 25 years, and I know that Pancheros continues to be successful because we have the right people on board. This team is the complete package, and it’s the reason I’ve continued to open more restaurants at age 93.”

The recognition and award ceremony took place at the company’s 2019 annual franchisee conference in Chicago. Held Oct. 2 to 4, the conference brought Pancheros franchisees together from across the country to collaborate on best business practices such as next-level marketing initiatives and technology implementations, as well as celebrate the brand’s accomplishments.

To conclude the conference, Pancheros CEO and founder Rodney Anderson and vice president of operations Barry Nelson presented Thomson with the 2019 “Franchisee of the Year” award.

“We’ve put so many great things in place this year to help drive the business, improve the customer experience and build our digital presence and loyalty program. Our franchisee community has supported our efforts to grow the business, and we’re now really starting to hit on all cylinders,” said Anderson. “As a company, it is important to take a moment to stop, reflect and celebrate milestones and achievements. It’s incredible to have business owners like Bob Thomson on board, paving the path for continued success and momentum for fellow owners and certainly a business role model that we admire as a franchise system.”

About Pancheros

The beginning of Pancheros dates back to 1992 when Rodney Anderson opened the brand’s first restaurant in Iowa City, Iowa. Originally modeled after the Chicago taquerias that Anderson had visited often with his friends during his teenage years, the brand’s pursuit of constructing a better built burrito launched Pancheros into an evolution based on simplicity and fresh-pressed tortillas.

Since it’s humble beginnings, Pancheros has earned a loyal following for redefining the standards of modern burritos by using fresh-pressed tortillas and perfectly-mixed ingredients with the help of BOB the Tool, a unique plastic spatula used to carefully mix ingredients together to create the perfect taste in every bite.

Amid its popularity, the brand has successfully grown from its roots and today a robust franchising program has led to nearly 70 locations across 13 states.

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