Baja Fresh Mexican Grill, often called Baja Fresh, was founded in 1990 by Jim and Linda Magglos. After taking out a 3rd mortgage on their home, they opened their first restaurant in Newbury Park, California. Franchising operations began in 1995 and by 1997, the company had 31 locations.
Baja Fresh is a chain of casual dining restaurants offering Tex-Mex style cuisine. Wendy’s International purchased the company in 2002 for $275 million. The chain saw declining sales over the next four years, and in 2006, Wendy’s International sold the chain to a private investor for $31 million.
Today, the company has 256 locations in 29 U.S. states, one location in Singapore, and two restaurants in Dubai. In 2013, the company closed all 5 Arizona locations without notice. Current CEO Charles Rink replaced David Kim, who stepped down from his position in April of 2013.
The company maintains a corporate officein Scottsdale, Arizona.
