La Salsa
American fast-casual Tex-Mex restaurant chain known for fresh ingredients and self-serve salsa bars.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
La Salsa is an American fast-casual Tex-Mex restaurant chain founded in Los Angeles, California, in 1979 by Howdy Kabrins. The concept developed around made-to-order Mexican-inspired food, including burritos, tacos, and other Tex-Mex offerings, with restaurants emphasizing fresh ingredients and a self-serve salsa bar. The salsa bar became a defining part of the customer experience, allowing guests to customize meals with different salsa options. The first La Salsa opened at the intersection of Pico Boulevard and Sepulveda Boulevard in West Los Angeles. During the 1980s, the brand expanded across Southern California. It opened a San Diego-area restaurant at Horton Plaza in August 1985, reached six locations by 1986, and appeared in Orange County when a restaurant opened at Santa Ana's MainPlace Mall. By 1993, the chain had expanded into Northern California with a Sacramento location, identified at the time as its 38th restaurant. La Salsa changed ownership several times as it expanded. In June 1992, Howdy Kabrins sold control to a group that included Sienna Holding and InterWest Partners. Santa Barbara Restaurant Group acquired the chain in July 1999 through a stock swap. At that point La Salsa had 98 restaurants in the United States, including 48 franchised locations. CKE Restaurants subsequently acquired Santa Barbara Restaurant Group in March 2002, bringing La Salsa into the same broader corporate portfolio as other restaurant brands. In 2007, CKE sold La Salsa to Baja Fresh, creating a close relationship between the two restaurant chains. La Salsa and Baja Fresh shared corporate headquarters and operated as sister brands. At the time of the transaction, La Salsa had more than 100 restaurants across approximately a dozen states. The brand later became part of BF Acquisition Holdings, the corporate parent of Baja Fresh and La Salsa. MTY Food Group acquired BF Acquisition Holdings in 2016. The transaction placed La Salsa under MTY's Kahala Brands division. At the time of the acquisition, La Salsa had 23 restaurants, while Baja Fresh had 162; only a portion of the combined system was franchised. The acquisition marked the brand's transition into a much smaller franchised and multi-brand restaurant portfolio rather than the large national footprint it had maintained in the 1990s and early 2000s. The chain contracted further during the late 2010s and early 2020s. La Salsa lost locations in Las Vegas, exited Arizona after its Tucson franchise restaurants closed in 2018, and left the San Diego metropolitan area in 2019. Its only Indiana restaurant, located in the Purdue Memorial Union, closed in 2020 after Purdue University declined to renew existing dining contracts during renovation of its dining facilities. By August 2024, five locations remained: three in Northern California, in Mountain View, San Bruno, and San Leandro; one in Los Angeles; and one in Las Vegas. La Salsa remains an operating brand of MTY Food Group, although its public footprint is substantially smaller than during its earlier expansion periods.
History
La Salsa began in 1979 when Howdy Kabrins opened a Mexican-inspired fast-food restaurant at Pico and Sepulveda boulevards in West Los Angeles. The early concept combined quick service with a focus on fresh ingredients and customer customization. Its self-serve salsa bar became one of the chain's most recognizable features and helped distinguish the restaurants from more standardized fast-food competitors. Expansion initially concentrated on Southern California. A San Diego-area restaurant opened at Horton Plaza in August 1985, and the chain had six locations by 1986. La Salsa also entered Orange County, including a restaurant at MainPlace Mall in Santa Ana. The company later extended its reach northward: its first Northern California restaurant opened in Sacramento in 1993 and was described as the chain's 38th location. In June 1992, Kabrins sold control of La Salsa to a consortium that included Sienna Holding and InterWest Partners. The company continued to expand, and Santa Barbara Restaurant Group acquired it in July 1999 in a stock transaction. La Salsa then had 98 locations across the United States, with nearly half operated by franchisees. CKE Restaurants acquired Santa Barbara Restaurant Group in March 2002, making La Salsa part of CKE's restaurant holdings. CKE sold La Salsa to Baja Fresh in 2007. The two chains subsequently operated as sister companies and shared corporate headquarters. La Salsa had more than 100 restaurants in approximately twelve states around the time of the sale. The Baja Fresh relationship continued through BF Acquisition Holdings, which was sold to Canada's MTY Food Group in 2016. The transaction was reported at $27 million and included both Baja Fresh and La Salsa. MTY assigned the brands to its Kahala Brands division. At the acquisition date, La Salsa had 23 restaurants, most of them franchised. After the MTY acquisition, La Salsa's location count contracted. In 2016, the company was reported to have closed one of three Las Vegas restaurants, leaving two in the market. A franchisee's closure of both Tucson restaurants led La Salsa to leave Arizona in 2018. The chain exited the San Diego metropolitan area in 2019 when its only location there closed. Its lone Indiana restaurant, at the Purdue Memorial Union, closed in 2020 after Purdue declined to renew existing contracts during a renovation of university dining facilities. By August 2024, five La Salsa restaurants were reported to remain in the United States: three in Northern California, located in Mountain View, San Bruno, and San Leandro; one in Los Angeles; and one in Las Vegas. The brand therefore survives as a small MTY Food Group restaurant concept with a heavily reduced footprint compared with its late-1990s and early-2000s expansion period.
- 2024
Five locations reported
[1]By August, the chain was reported to have five remaining restaurants in California and Nevada.
- 2020
Indiana location closes
[1]The La Salsa at Purdue Memorial Union closed after Purdue declined to renew existing dining contracts during facility renovations.
- 2019
San Diego-area withdrawal
[1]The chain exited the San Diego metropolitan area when its sole restaurant there closed.
- 2018
Arizona withdrawal
[1]La Salsa left Arizona after a franchisee closed both of its Tucson restaurants.
- 2016
Acquired by MTY Food Group
[1]MTY Food Group acquired BF Acquisition Holdings, placing La Salsa under the Kahala Brands division.
- 2007
Sold to Baja Fresh
[1]La Salsa was sold by CKE Restaurants to Baja Fresh and became closely associated with the brand as a sister company.
- 2002
Brought into CKE Restaurants
[1]CKE Restaurants acquired La Salsa through its purchase of Santa Barbara Restaurant Group.
- 1999
Acquired by Santa Barbara Restaurant Group
[1]Santa Barbara Restaurant Group acquired La Salsa in a stock swap when the chain had 98 United States locations.
- 1993
Northern California entry
[1]La Salsa opened its first Northern California restaurant in Sacramento, identified as its 38th location.
- 1992
Control sold to investment consortium
[1]Howdy Kabrins sold control of La Salsa to a consortium including Sienna Holding and InterWest Partners.
Products and positioning
Fast-casual Tex-Mex centered on fresh ingredients, customizable Mexican-inspired meals, and a self-serve salsa-bar experience.
Tex-Mex entree
Burritos
Burritos are one of La Salsa's core Mexican-inspired fast-casual offerings. They fit the chain's made-to-order format and are typically customized with fillings, toppings, and salsa selections.
Tex-Mex entree
Tacos
Tacos form part of La Salsa's standard Tex-Mex menu and support the brand's quick-service positioning. The restaurant experience emphasizes adding fresh toppings and salsa according to individual preference.
Restaurant experience
Self-serve salsa bar
The self-serve salsa bar is a signature service feature rather than a single menu item. It allows customers to select salsa and customize their meals, reinforcing La Salsa's emphasis on freshness and personalization.
Brand decisions
2016
MTY acquisition of BF Acquisition HoldingsM&ABackground
BF Acquisition Holdings owned Baja Fresh and La Salsa. At the time, La Salsa had 23 restaurants and Baja Fresh had 162.
Action taken
MTY Food Group acquired BF Acquisition Holdings for $27 million and placed the brands under Kahala Brands.
Aftermath
La Salsa continued as an MTY-managed brand, with its restaurant network subsequently shrinking to five reported locations by August 2024.
Acquisition price. $27 million (2016 acquisition announcement)
2007
Sale to Baja FreshM&ABackground
CKE Restaurants owned La Salsa after acquiring Santa Barbara Restaurant Group, but later transferred the chain to Baja Fresh.
Action taken
CKE sold La Salsa to Baja Fresh for an undisclosed amount, creating a shared corporate relationship between the two restaurant brands.
Aftermath
La Salsa and Baja Fresh operated as sister companies and shared corporate headquarters.
Recent events
- 2024
La Salsa footprint declines to five locations[1]
Other
By August 2024, La Salsa had five reported United States locations: three in Northern California, one in Los Angeles, and one in Las Vegas.
- 2016
MTY Food Group acquires La Salsa and Baja Fresh parent[1]
M&A
MTY Food Group acquired BF Acquisition Holdings, the parent of Baja Fresh and La Salsa, for $27 million. La Salsa had 23 restaurants at the time.
- 2007
La Salsa sold to Baja Fresh[1]
M&A
CKE Restaurants sold La Salsa to Baja Fresh for an undisclosed amount, bringing the two brands into a shared operating structure.
- 2002
CKE Restaurants acquires La Salsa's parent company[1]
M&A
CKE Restaurants obtained La Salsa through its acquisition of Santa Barbara Restaurant Group.
- 1999
Santa Barbara Restaurant Group acquires La Salsa[1]
M&A
Santa Barbara Restaurant Group acquired La Salsa through a stock swap. La Salsa had 98 United States locations, including 48 franchised restaurants.
Sources1 sources
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