Chicago-based Dos Montes Corp.’s fifth and most recent Twins Peaks restaurant opened July 24 inside the Encuentro Oceanía Mall, near Benito Juárez International Airport in Mexico City.
When Dos Montes Corp. first partnered with Twin Peaks in 2019, the original agreement called for the restaurant group to open eight locations in Mexico. But following the success of the first five locations the group opened, Twin Peaks updated the terms of that agreement last year to give the Chicago-based franchisee the exclusive rights for the entire country to develop 32 sports bars there in the next 10 years.
“We currently own and operate five, four in or around Mexico City and another in Cancun. Twin Peaks is quickly becoming a very popular brand in Mexico, and we are set to meet the public demand by opening an additional five locations by end of 2024,” said Rodolfo Garcia, president of Dos Montes.
Chicago-based Dos Montes’ fifth and most recent Twins Peaks restaurant opened July 24 inside the Encuentro Oceanía Mall, one of the more popular shopping centers in the region, near Benito Juárez International Airport and situated in the upscale Venustiano Carranza borough of Mexico City. The Twins Peak lodge is the fourth the franchisee group has opened in the city and features two giant video walls among more than 60 TVs, a patio for outdoor dining as well as food and drink promos throughout the week.
Twin Peaks CEO Joe Hummel
“Dos Montes has been an excellent partner in leading our expansion efforts in Mexico,” Twin Peaks CEO Joe Hummel said. “We are the place to be for everyone to gather to watch Liga MX futból or NFL football in Mexico.”
Garcia said Dos Montes was formed with various partners with experience in the investment banking industry in both Mexico and the United States, along with real estate brokers and developers and others that have been in the restaurant industry for generations, owning and operating restaurants in Mexico and in the U.S. He said the group’s sole purpose is developing Twin Peaks locations, and it has lofty plans to do just that.
“We’re working with different franchise partners to enter new markets like Cleveland, Ohio; Omaha, Nebraska; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Des Moines, Iowa; and the entire state of Louisiana,” Garcia said. “We also expanded an existing agreement in the Orlando area to franchise a total of 10 lodges across central and southeast Florida.”
Garcia, who also has a deal with Twin Peaks to add seven locations in Chicago, was first introduced to the restaurant in Houston. He said he went with a group of friends to the sports bar chain known for craft beers and scantily clad servers, and was immediately impressed.
Along with giant video walls among more than 60 TVs, a patio for outdoor dining as well as food and drink promos throughout the week, Twin Peaks is known for its scantily-clad servers.
“The atmosphere was fantastic, the food was delicious, and the Twin Peaks girls were amazing. My group has owned and operated restaurants here,” in the U.S., “and Mexico before, so we know what the Mexican people look for when they want to go out for a good time. Twin Peaks has it all and that’s why we wanted to bring the brand to Mexico,” Garcia said.
Twin Peaks, which was founded in 2005 in Lewisville, Texas, and acquired by FAT Brands, owners of Fatburger and Johnny Rockets, in 2021 for $300 million, has more than 100 locations open in about 26 states. Mexico is the first international market for the concept and the company said it plans to expand to more countries in the coming years.
Over the summer and through the end of Q2, the brand added five new locations, in Auburn Hills, Michigan; Beavercreek, Ohio; Kansas City, Missouri; Round Rock, Texas; and San Antonio. Twin Peaks has several more U.S. locations slated to open by the end of the year in Arizona, Indiana, Tennessee and Texas, as well as three more locations in Mexico.
Twin Peaks also recently executed area development agreements with Music City Consulting to open eight franchise locations in North Carolina and executed another deal with JEB Food Group to open four more locations in the Louisville area.
Twin Peaks’ scratch kitchens serve artisan flatbreads, a hand-trimmed New York strip steak along with smoked and grilled chicken wings. There are also 16 beers on tap, which Twin Peaks claimed are most of any sports bar in Mexico City, as well as a wide selection of tequilas, mezcals, whiskeys and bourbons.
“It’s the entire experience that makes Twin Peaks stand out,” Garcia said. “You’ve got the sports bar atmosphere, ice cold beer, quality American-style food and service from the Twin Peaks girls. Who wouldn’t want to spend an afternoon watching sports there?”
The initial cost of building a Twin Peaks restaurant, according to the company’s franchise disclosure document, ranges from $1.5 million to $5.1 million. This includes all start-up expenses as well as a $50,000 initial franchise fee.