Zambrero
An Australian Mexican fast-food franchise known for burritos, bowls, and its Plate 4 Plate hunger-relief program.
Last updated August 31, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Zambrero is an Australian multinational fast-food restaurant franchise serving Mexican-inspired food. The brand was founded in Canberra in 2005 by Sam Prince, who was studying medicine at the time. Its founding concept combined a commercially viable quick-service restaurant with a humanitarian purpose: profits and operating activity would help support people experiencing poverty and hunger. Zambrero's menu is built around customizable Mexican-style meals, including burritos, bowls, tacos, nachos, and quesadillas, with customers generally able to select combinations of fillings, rice, beans, vegetables, sauces, and other toppings. The brand's most distinctive initiative is Plate 4 Plate. Through this program, a meal purchased at Zambrero is matched by a meal donated to a person in need, primarily through humanitarian and food-relief partners. Zambrero has worked with Rise Against Hunger in connection with the initiative. The program has become central to the brand's identity and differentiates Zambrero from conventional fast-food competitors by linking ordinary restaurant purchases to an international hunger-relief objective. Reference material reports that the program had delivered more than 100 million meals by December 2025; earlier public descriptions cited lower cumulative totals as the program expanded. Zambrero began with a restaurant on Lonsdale Street in Braddon's area of Canberra and subsequently developed as a franchise network. It reached its 100th restaurant in Midland, Western Australia, roughly a decade after opening its first location. The chain expanded internationally with its first New Zealand restaurant in November 2014, its first Irish restaurant in Dublin in March 2016, and its first two United States restaurants in March 2018. Public reference material describes the network as operating in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, the United States, and the United Kingdom. In Australia, the chain is among the country's larger Mexican-food franchise systems. Zambrero's social-purpose history also includes the E-magine Foundation, established by Prince in 2007 to support educational resources for Indigenous communities and people in developing countries. The company's emphasis later shifted toward the more focused global-hunger mission represented by Plate 4 Plate. This evolution allowed the restaurant network to use its transaction volume and franchise footprint as the mechanism for delivering humanitarian assistance. The business has received recognition for growth and corporate responsibility. It appeared on the BRW Fastest Franchises lists in 2011, 2012, and 2013, and on the BRW Fast 100 list in 2014 and 2015. Zambrero received the Australian Business Awards Enterprise of the Year award in 2015, followed in 2016 by QSR Media awards for Best Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative and Best Sustainability Initiative. The brand remains positioned as a fast-casual or quick-service Mexican restaurant with a social mission, using menu customization, franchising, and charitable meal matching as its principal operating and brand-building pillars.
History
Zambrero was established in Canberra in 2005 by Sam Prince, then a medical student. From the outset, the concept was designed to pair a Mexican-style quick-service restaurant with a humanitarian objective. The first restaurant opened on Lonsdale Street in Braddon. Rather than treating social contribution as a separate corporate activity, Zambrero developed a model in which restaurant transactions could help fund or trigger food assistance for people in need. The company expanded through franchising in Australia and gradually built a national network. Its 100th restaurant opened in Midland, Western Australia, approximately ten years after the first store. During this period, Zambrero was listed among Australia's fast-growing franchise businesses, appearing on the BRW Fastest Franchises lists for 2011, 2012, and 2013 and the BRW Fast 100 lists for 2014 and 2015. Prince also founded the E-magine Foundation in 2007. The foundation's earlier focus included educational resources for Indigenous communities and developing countries. Zambrero's social-purpose emphasis later concentrated more directly on hunger relief through Plate 4 Plate. Under the program, a meal bought by a customer is matched with a meal provided to someone experiencing hunger, with humanitarian organizations involved in delivery. Rise Against Hunger is identified as a partner in the initiative. International expansion began with New Zealand in November 2014. Zambrero then opened in Dublin, Ireland, in March 2016. The company entered the United States with two restaurants on 20 March 2018 and later expanded its international presence to the United Kingdom. Public reference material describes the brand as operating across Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, the United States, and the United Kingdom, with Australia remaining its largest market. A 2025 reference count described 339 restaurants across these markets, including 285 in Australia, while the same material characterizes Zambrero as having more than 300 locations globally. The brand's menu and operating model have remained centered on customizable Mexican-inspired fast food, particularly burritos, bowls, tacos, nachos, and quesadillas. Its principal differentiation is the connection between food purchases and Plate 4 Plate donations. By December 2025, publicly cited material reported that the program had delivered more than 100 million meals. Zambrero has also been recognized for both business growth and social responsibility, receiving the Australian Business Awards Enterprise of the Year award in 2015 and two QSR Media awards in 2016 for corporate social responsibility and sustainability. The company continues to operate as an active international restaurant franchise with a hunger-relief mission embedded in its brand proposition.
- 2025
Plate 4 Plate passes 100 million meals
[1]Reference material reports that Plate 4 Plate had delivered more than 100 million meals by December 2025.
- 2018
United States market entry
[1]The company opened its first two United States restaurants on 20 March.
- 2016
Expansion into Ireland and social-impact awards
[1]The first Dublin restaurant opened in March, and Zambrero received QSR Media awards for Best Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative and Best Sustainability Initiative.
- 2015
Enterprise of the Year
[1]Zambrero received the Australian Business Awards Enterprise of the Year award.
- 2014
First New Zealand restaurant opens
[1]Zambrero began international expansion with a New Zealand restaurant in November.
- 2011
Recognized on the BRW Fastest Franchises list
[1]Zambrero appeared on the BRW Fastest Franchises list, beginning a sequence of growth-related recognitions.
- 2007
E-magine Foundation established
[1]Sam Prince founded the E-magine Foundation, initially focusing on educational resources for Indigenous communities and developing countries.
- 2005
First Zambrero restaurant opens in Canberra
[1]Sam Prince founded Zambrero and opened the first restaurant on Lonsdale Street in Braddon, Canberra.
Products and positioning
A fast-casual Mexican restaurant franchise combining customizable food with a social-impact mission focused on hunger relief.
Mexican fast food
Burritos
Burritos are one of Zambrero's core offerings. They are assembled as customizable Mexican-style meals using a tortilla and selectable fillings and toppings. The format supports the chain's fast-service model while allowing customers to vary proteins, rice, beans, vegetables, sauces, and other ingredients.
Mexican fast food
Bowls
Zambrero bowls provide the chain's customizable meal format without a wrapped tortilla. They typically combine a base such as rice and beans with selected fillings, vegetables, sauces, and toppings, making them a principal alternative to burritos.
Mexican fast food
Tacos
Tacos are part of Zambrero's Mexican-inspired menu and offer a smaller, handheld format than the chain's burritos and bowls. Customers can generally customize the filling and accompanying toppings within the restaurant's standard ingredient system.
Mexican fast food
Nachos
Nachos are a menu category built around tortilla chips and Mexican-style toppings. The product range has included variations such as pork nachos. A 2016 nutrition study specifically identified Zambrero's pork nachos as having the highest kilojoule count among the small meals and snacks examined in its cross-chain sample.
Mexican fast food
Quesadillas
Quesadillas extend Zambrero's menu beyond burritos and bowls with a grilled tortilla-based option containing Mexican-inspired fillings. They fit the brand's broader approach of offering familiar formats with customizable ingredients.
Marketing campaigns
- 2007E-magine Foundation
Australia · Developing countries
Sam Prince established the E-magine Foundation to support educational resources for Indigenous communities and developing countries. Zambrero's later social-purpose emphasis moved more directly toward hunger relief.
- Plate 4 Plate
Australia · New Zealand · Ireland · United States · United Kingdom
Zambrero's signature social-impact program matches meals purchased by customers with meals provided to people experiencing hunger. The initiative has been conducted with humanitarian partners including Rise Against Hunger and is the central social mission associated with the brand.
Outcome. Reference material reports more than 100 million meals delivered by December 2025.
Brand decisions
2018
Entry into the United StatesStrategyBackground
Zambrero extended its international expansion beyond Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland.
Action taken
The company opened its first two United States restaurants on 20 March 2018.
Aftermath
The United States became part of Zambrero's international restaurant network.
2016
Expansion into IrelandStrategyBackground
Zambrero continued its international franchise development after entering New Zealand.
Action taken
The first Irish restaurant opened in Dublin in March 2016.
Aftermath
Ireland became one of the markets in the brand's international operating network.
2014
International expansion begins in New ZealandStrategyBackground
After developing its Australian restaurant and franchise network, Zambrero pursued expansion beyond its home market.
Action taken
The company opened its first New Zealand restaurant in November 2014.
Aftermath
The move was followed by entry into Ireland, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
- Shift from education-focused philanthropy to hunger reliefStrategy
Background
The brand's earlier philanthropic work included educational resources through the E-magine Foundation.
Action taken
Zambrero concentrated its social-impact strategy on reducing global hunger through Plate 4 Plate.
Aftermath
Plate 4 Plate became the defining social-purpose element of the brand and was reported to have delivered more than 100 million meals by December 2025.
Recent events
- 2025
Zambrero meal donations pass 100 million[1]
Other
Reference material reports that Plate 4 Plate had provided more than 100 million meals by December 2025.
- 2018
Zambrero opens first United States restaurants[1]
Other
The franchise opened its first two United States restaurants on 20 March 2018.
- 2016
Zambrero enters Ireland[1]
Other
Zambrero opened its first Irish restaurant in Dublin in March 2016.
- 2016
Study identifies Zambrero pork nachos as the highest-kilojoule item in its sample[1]
Other
A George Institute for Global Health analysis of small meals and snacks from 25 fast-food chains found Zambrero's pork nachos had the highest kilojoule count among the items examined. The finding was a nutrition-analysis result, not a reported scandal or regulatory action.
- 2014
Zambrero opens its first New Zealand restaurant[1]
Other
The brand began its New Zealand expansion with its first restaurant in November 2014.
Sources4 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/zambrero · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled