A New Jersey-based burrito chain is coming back to Massachusetts for the first time in years, with plans to open a fast-casual restaurant at RK Hudson Towne Center on Washington Street. Bubbakoo's Burritos, known for customizable Mexican-fusion fare like build-your-own burritos, tacos, quesadillas and bowls, has more than 150 restaurants spread across 17 states, but the brand's last Massachusetts outpost shut its doors after opening in Boston's Allston neighborhood.
That original Massachusetts location opened at 89 Brighton Avenue in Allston after Bubbakoo's franchisee Burrito Boys Inc. secured a common victualler license there in April 2022, according to Boston.gov records. That space has since been taken over by local eateries Burrito Loco and Pho Town. Now the chain is aiming for a suburban comeback, with the new Hudson restaurant, first reported by WhatNow, set to mark Bubbakoo's return to the state.
The Hudson location will be operated by franchisee Ripal Patel, who already runs at least one other Bubbakoo's location in Bedford, New Hampshire, as well as several Tropical Smoothie Café locations throughout New England, per WhatNow's reporting. Bubbakoo's also has an existing location in Nashua, New Hampshire. No official opening date has been set for the Hudson restaurant, though the chain has said it will announce one soon, and Chris Ives told WhatNow that more details would be shared in the near future.
A Grocery-Anchored Plaza With Deep Pockets Behind It
RK Hudson Towne Center, located at 213 Washington Street, is a suburban grocery-anchored plaza anchored by a Stop & Shop supermarket, alongside tenants including Boost Fitness and Nail Essence & Spa, according to a report from Worcester Business Journal. The center is owned and operated by RK Centers, a regional commercial real estate developer founded by former professional basketball player and Miami Heat minority owner Raanan Katz, whose company manages more than 100 open-air shopping centers totaling 10 million square feet across New England and South Florida. RK Centers added the 24,000-square-foot Boost Fitness facility as a junior anchor at the Hudson property back in 2015.
The lease for the new Bubbakoo's space was brokered by Travis Ginsberg of Summit Realty Partners, per WhatNow's reporting, and RK Hudson Towne Center announced the incoming restaurant in a social media post.
Why Hudson Makes Sense for a Burrito Comeback
Hudson, a town of roughly 20,000 residents, has built a reputation as a MetroWest dining destination in recent years. The town won the national 2021 America's Main Street contest, beating out more than 200 other entrant communities nationwide in a competition organized by Independent We Stand, and took home a $25,000 prize for transforming its downtown into a culinary and retail hub, according to New City Microcreamery. The town's food scene has kept building momentum since, with the Hudson Downtown Business Improvement District hosting its inaugural Downtown Hudson Restaurant Week in February, followed by a summer session in July, involving more than a dozen local eateries, breweries and specialty food vendors, as noted by Rail Trail Flatbread Co.
The expansion push comes on the heels of a major ownership change for Bubbakoo's parent company. St. Louis-based private equity firm Thompson Street Capital Partners acquired Bubbakoo's Burritos from co-founders Paul Altero and Bill Hart in 2025, saying the partnership would help scale operations and support the brand's nationwide expansion. Altero and Bill Hart originally launched the brand in Point Pleasant, New Jersey, in 2008 before beginning to franchise it in 2015.
Menu Staples and a Broader Regional Push
Diners familiar with Bubbakoo's from other markets can expect a menu built around customizable staples alongside signature items. Hoodline previously reported on the chain's Durham debut, where standard entrees ran between $11 and $16 alongside value promotions like an $8 Taco Tuesday deal. The Hudson menu is expected to include items such as the Chiwawa build-your-own panko-crusted cheesy rice ball, the Aloha pineapple pork burrito, buffalo chicken nachos, the General Tso's taco trio and the Nashville hot chicken burrito.
Hudson isn't the only Massachusetts town on Bubbakoo's radar. The chain has also initiated local hiring efforts for a potential second Massachusetts location at 735 Belmont Street in Brockton, a site formerly occupied by a Boston Market, according to a job listing on Indeed. That prospective Brockton opening was first reported locally by The Enterprise. The chain's steady climb up industry rankings underscores the pace of its growth: Bubbakoo's landed at #260 on Entrepreneur Magazine's 2025 Franchise 500 list, after previously placing #232 in 2024 and #238 in 2023.
Opening a Bubbakoo's franchise isn't cheap. Total initial investment costs range between $356,000 and $757,000 based on 2024 figures, including a $35,000 initial franchise fee, according to Entrepreneur's franchise data, with candidates expected to show a net worth between $350,000 and $500,000. The brand also charges franchisees a 6% royalty fee along with 1% to 2% national marketing fees. For now, exactly when Hudson diners will get their first taste of the Chiwawa or the Nashville hot chicken burrito remains an open question, as does whether Brockton or other Massachusetts towns will see additional locations under the same expansion push.
