About Cafe Rio
Cafe Rio is a Consumer company based in Salt Lake City (United States) founded in 1997, and was acquired by Freeman Spogli in September 2017. Mexican food is served by Cafe Rio restaurant chain. The company has 1,729 employees. Its chief executive, as recorded, is David Gagnon. Its website caferio.com draws about 322 thousand monthly visits. Its focus areas include Food and Agriculture, Food Service Chains, Restaurants and Limited Service. Its legal entity is CAFE RIO, INC. Its competitors include Burger King, Chipotle and First Watch; 1 of its 3 listed competitors has raised funding.
Company details
Cafe Rio was founded in 1997 in Salt Lake City, United States, as a chain of restaurants focused on Mexican cuisine. Operations center on casual dining with menu items including burritos, tacos, and salads prepared using fresh ingredients. The company maintains multiple locations across the United States, serving customers in the quick-service restaurant sector. Leadership is provided by CEOs David Gagnon and Steve Vaughan.
- Headquarters Salt Lake City, United States
- Employees 1,729
- Stage Acquired
- SectorsConsumer
- Website category Food and Drink · Restaurants and Delivery
- Emailβ’β’β’β’β’β’β’β’
- Phoneβ’β’β’β’ β’β’β’β’
- Website caferio.com
- Social LinkedIn X Facebook
- Acquired by Freeman Spogli (Sep 2017)
- Legal Name Cafe Rio, Inc.
- Latest Funding Round$146M (USD), Debt – Conventional
Sep 2017
- Investors
- Employee Count1,729
- Acquired byFreeman Spogli
(Sep 2017)
Funding Insights of Cafe Rio
- Total Rounds 1
- Last Round Debt – Conventional β $146M
- First Round $146M
(Sep 2017)
All 1 funding rounds of Cafe Rio with amounts and investors; the two latest post-money valuations are shown, the rest are part of the premium plan.
| Date | Amount | Transaction Name | Valuation | Lead Investors | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2017 | $146M | Debt – Conventional | β | β | β |
1 investors in total: 1 institutional.
Investors in Cafe Rio
Cafe Rio has secured backing from 1 investor, including venture fund investors. Prominent investors backing the company include Freeman Spogli.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
North American private equity investments are managed by Freeman Spogli. | 1983 | freemanspogli.com | Los Angeles, United States |
Investor details for Cafe Rio
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Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
People of Cafe Rio
55 people are tracked at Cafe Rio (24 in leadership, 31 in team); the tracked headcount is 1,729.
| Name | Role | Group |
|---|---|---|
David Gagnon | CEO | Leadership |
Steve Vaughan | CEO | Leadership |
Rogelio Laris | General Manager | Leadership |
Todd Paladini | Chief Technology Officer | Leadership |
Keith Karas | Vice President Of Supply Chain | Leadership |
Shea Bodet | Chief Financial Officer | Leadership |
Remo Melucci | VP Of Field Operations | Leadership |
Abe Hollands | COO | Leadership |
Brandan Bieker | Director Of IT Infrastructure | Leadership |
Wilfredo Rojas | Senior Director Information Technology | Leadership |
Jack Blanding | Vp, Financial Planning | Leadership |
Taylor Wells | Director Of Financial Planning And Analysis | Leadership |
Cortney Worle | Chief People Officer | Leadership |
Jerry Juneau | Director Of Classroom Training & Culture | Leadership |
Lisa Herrmann | Director, Human Resources | Leadership |
Ben Craner | Chief Marketing Officer | Leadership |
Jackie Crynes | Chief Marketing Officer | Leadership |
Samir Hamra | Managing Director | Leadership |
Chris Reading | Senior Director Of Operations Innovations | Leadership |
Bryce Evans | Director Of Construction | Leadership |
35 more people are available in the full profile.
Complete people profiles for Cafe Rio
Full employee and board profiles, team structure, tenure and professional contact details require an active premium plan.
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- Team structure
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Timeline of Cafe Rio
3 dated milestones of Cafe Rio across 20 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
- Founded Cafe Rio is founded.
- Exit Acquired by Freeman Spogli.
- Funding First funding round of $146.0M.
Competitors of Cafe Rio
Cafe Rio has 3 listed competitors in our database, 1 of them funded. They include Burger King, Chipotle and First Watch.
| Company Name | Domain | Founded | HQ Location | Total funding | Employees | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| bk.com | 1954 | Miami, United States | $100M | 40 | Burgers and fast food are served by a restaurant chain. | |
| chipotle.com | 1993 | Newport Beach, United States | 184,790 | Mexican-inspired fast-casual meals are served by the restaurant chain. | ||
| firstwatch.com | 1983 | Bradenton, United States | 12,000 | A chain of limited-service restaurants is operated nationwide. |
Detailed competitors of Cafe Rio
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- Full competitor set
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Web traffic of Cafe Rio
The website of Cafe Rio (caferio.com) receives about 321.7K visits a month and ranks #118,579 among all websites worldwide, #3,668 in Restaurants and Delivery.
- Monthly visits321.7K
▼ 7.9% vs previous month
- Unique visitors210.9K
per month
- Global rank#118,579
among all websites
- Category rank#3,668
Food and Drink · Restaurants and Delivery
- Bounce rate47%
- Pages per visit3.6
- Average visit2 min 45 sec
- DevicesDesktop 19% Β· Mobile 81%
Websites whose visitors overlap most with Cafe Rio. Affinity shows how closely the audiences match.
| Website | Domain | Audience affinity | Monthly visits | Global rank | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
costavida.net | costavida.net | 100% | β | ||
caferio.alohaorderonline.com | caferio.alohaorderonline.com | 90% | β | ||
| chipotle.com | 82% | 10.6M | #5,584 | View details | |
| elpolloloco.com | 77% | 629.2K | #61,767 | View details | |
| doordash.com | 74% | 104.7M | #331 | View details | |
| β’β’β’β’β’β’β’β’β’β’ | β’β’β’β’β’β’.com | β’β’% | β’.β’M | #β’β’β’β’β’ | β |
| β’β’β’β’β’β’β’β’β’β’ | β’β’β’β’β’β’.com | β’β’% | β’.β’M | #β’β’β’β’β’ | β |
| β’β’β’β’β’β’β’β’β’β’ | β’β’β’β’β’β’.com | β’β’% | β’.β’M | #β’β’β’β’β’ | β |
All 40 similar websites and full traffic analytics for Cafe Rio
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- 40 similar websites
- Audience overlap
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Top companies in Food Service Chains
3 companies that operate in the same segment as Cafe Rio (Food Service Chains) in United States, ranked by their profile score on The Company Check.
| Company | Description | Founded | Location | Total funding | Revenue | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Salads and meal bowls are offered by restaurant chains. | 2006 | Los Angeles, California, United States | USD 479.07 M | USD 679.47 M | 2,868 | |
Doughnuts and coffee are provided by the international chain. | 1937 | Winston-salem, North Carolina, United States | USD 114.68 M | USD 1.52 B | 21,000 | |
A chain of restaurants provides meals and catering services. | 2009 | Colorado City, Colorado, United States | USD 11.45 M | 526 |
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Related news about Cafe Rio
Complete news archive for Cafe Rio
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Frequently Asked Questions about Cafe Rio
Cafe Rio was founded in 1997 and raised its 1st funding round 20 years after it was founded.
Cafe Rio is headquartered in Salt Lake City, United States. It is registered at Salt Lake City, Utah, United States.
David Gagnon is the CEO of Cafe Rio, as recorded in our data.
Cafe Rio has 1,729 employees.
Cafe Rio was founded in 1997 in Salt Lake City, United States, as a chain of restaurants focused on Mexican cuisine. Operations center on casual dining with menu items including burritos, tacos, and salads prepared using fresh ingredients. The company maintains multiple locations across the United States, serving customers in the quick-service restaurant sector. Leadership is provided by CEOs David Gagnon and Steve Vaughan.
Cafe Rio's top competitors include Burger King, Chipotle and First Watch.
Cafe Rio has 1 investor. Key investors include Freeman Spogli.
Cafe Rio operates through Cafe Rio, Inc..
Yes. Cafe Rio was acquired by Freeman Spogli in September 2017.
The website of Cafe Rio receives about 322 thousand visits a month and ranks #118,579 among all websites worldwide.

