Ribbon cutting of the Vernon location of Bar Burrito fresh Mexican grill (Photo submitted)

By Kevin Rothwell

Bar Burrito

New residents bring franchise food outlet to Vernon

Feb 2, 2023 | 6:00 AM

Two Vancouver men tired to the hectic pace in the big city are hoping Vernon — and a new franchise for the area — is the ticket to a better life.

Akhil Arora and Anuj Kalucha came across the “Bar Burrito fresh Mexican grill” franchise nearly three-years ago.

“Vernon attracted us because we just wanted to move to a smaller community with a slower pace and Vernon seemed to be a great place for the business, so we decided to go forward with opportunity,” Arora told Vernon Matters.

The co-owners moved their families to Vernon a month ago, and opened the doors of the restaurant in the Vernon Square Mall in the last week of January.

Akhil Arora and Anuj Kalucha with staff members (Vernon Matters Photo)

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Bar Burrito is a quick-serve Mexican chain that focuses on fresh burritos, bowls, tacos, quesadillas and crunchy chicken sandwiches.

“There are different kinds of Mexican food and this franchise focuses on fresh, with the cooking done for each order making it more delicious,” Kalucha said.

The partners note that extends to all aspects of the food.

“We don’t use canned products. The beans are cooked from scratch every morning, the rice is cooked every morning, everything is done fresh and anything not used is discarded every night. It is as fresh as you can get,” Arora stated.

Founded in 2005, it has grown from its original Toronto location to more than 200 franchises in Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick.

There are 26 franchises in B.C. including Vernon and four restaurants in the Kelowna area.

“It has been a great response from Vernon so far. Business is good and the food is getting good reviews. We are pretty happy with the feedback from customers,” Arora stated.

The Vernon location is open seven days a week from 11:00 a.m. to 9 p.m. for dine in, take-out and delivery.

The partners are also looking to hire more staff, for the menu and career information click here.