The Boston Globe reported that Chilacates founder Socrates Abreu receives offers to buy the business. The Boston-area taqueria now has 11 locations, with another planned for Quincy; Abreu says he did not set out to turn the business into a chain.
Growth helps make the numbers work
Expansion has come with rising costs and tight margins. The Globe reports that Chilacates’ tacos have gone from $2.99 in 2015 to $5, while Abreu says higher ingredient costs and customers’ expectations that Mexican food remain inexpensive put pressure on profitability.
The company’s path has included choices other than taking investment or franchising. In 2019, when Chilacates had five Boston-area locations, Abreu told The Huntington News he had received franchise offers but was not interested.
The original opening faced a zoning dispute and other delays
Chilacates’ first location opened on Amory Street in Jamaica Plain in July 2015, after a 27-month delay involving a zoning dispute and other problems, according to the Globe. The City of Boston’s current restaurant guidance lists 2–6 weeks to process a Common Victualler License, longer if a Board hearing is required, and says a food service permit can take several months for plan review and inspections. Those are general timelines today.
For now, the Quincy location is planned, and Abreu receives offers to buy Chilacates.
