Over 12 focused, feedback-driven years, Dillas Quesadilla has gone from a college-born concept to a category-defining, quesadilla-focused QSR — refining its model, scaling with intention and proving that simplicity, operational excellence and community can power outsized results.
The first Dillas opened with plenty of heart — and a few misses. Some early menu items (the Cali Dilla, the Chickadilla), a lack of chips and queso, and pricing that didn’t match perceived value just didn’t land. The response became a core cultural reflex: “Open our ears and listen to the customer, tweak, change, adjust.” That humility turned into profitability — and a playbook. What didn’t resonate was cut; what guests loved was elevated. Over time, that meant a simplified, crave-forward menu that speeds ordering and execution while preserving freshness and quality.
Co-founder Kyle Gordon brought a “do one thing incredibly well” mindset shaped by his years at Raising Cane’s. He applied a “flow cook chicken fingers” discipline to quesadillas: tight systems, fresh prep with simple steps and an obsession with doing the fundamentals right — every time. The result is “relatively simple operations” and a focused product that shortens time to train, boosts throughput and unlocks high top-line sales without overcomplicating the box.
“At Raising Cane’s, when I was there, we went from 35 to about 135 locations,” Kyle said. “That gave me a lot of validation and insight. I tried to absorb everything I could about what it takes to run a great restaurant — and more importantly, a great restaurant culture.”
The inflection point came in 2018 with the brand’s first franchisee, Pete John in Shreveport. His store’s first-year sales mirrored what Dillas achieved in year three at the original location. That “crystallized the power of franchising” for the founders — a living example of what a tight playbook plus an aligned operator could do.
“My wife and I visited Dillas in Plano and fell in love with the freshness and the vibe. I wanted to be part of it,” John said. “We opened Shreveport, then kept pushing through the unknowns — even during COVID. We recruited great people, innovated and grew to five locations, including a drive-thru, take-out-only prototype and a college-town strategy. There’s no direct quesadilla competitor doing it like Dillas. The lane is wide open.”
Today, Dillas operates 11 locations with nearly $1.9 million AUVs and a fully built franchise infrastructure. Looking ahead, the goal is to expand to 150 locations and beyond, targeting the Southeast and Sunbelt.
“We’re not shy about growth, but we want to do it the right way with the right people,” Kyle said. “We don’t want to grow just to grow. We want the right partners. The people who see this for what it is — a chance to build something meaningful, profitable and fun. We’re disciplined about growth because we want the right people building this brand alongside us.”
Dillas pairs simplicity with smart tech to drop percentage points to the bottom line — freeing cash to fund franchise growth. This includes fixed product management and Sling scheduling to precisely match labor to demand, as well as AI-assisted forecasting to plan prep and reduce waste.
“We do a lot of fresh prep, but the steps are simple,” said co-founder Maggie Gordon. “And now we’re leveraging AI — for prep tools, for scheduling platforms. We’re trying to build a brand that’s ahead of the curve on tech, not catching up.”
Menu simplification, with four quesadillas removed, has increased drive-thru speed and built confidence for first-time guests in new markets. “We leaned into the data,” Kyle said. “Fries are our number one seller, along with quesadillas. So now, every meal includes fries and a drink.”
Furthermore, right-sizing production, such as tightening steps around chicken butchery and brisket smoking, avoids "over-operationalizing" the kitchen. This quiet discipline ultimately results in predictable operations, faster lines, happier teams, and healthier margins.
Dillas has developed robust structures around a straightforward formula: manpower, culture, operations, financial performance and marketing. Strong staffing combined with a positive and accountable culture drive productive operations, which in turn yield predictable profit and loss statements.
“We’ve designed our processes to be simple. We call it ‘time to train’ — and ours is low,” Kyle said. “The systems are simple, but the ingredients are fresh and high-quality. So it’s easy to pick up, but still delivers a primo product. Simple systems plus a craveable product equals speed to profitability.”
Dillas also learned fast that convenience drives the box. Today, roughly 85% of the business flows through convenience channels, with drive-thru as a must-have in new builds whenever possible. Converting a non-drive-thru site to include one delivered ~40% sales lift. The team has tested 11 location types and now prioritizes drive-thru, end-cap, second/third-generation spaces to lower build-out costs and accelerate openings — often in “random-seeming” but community-right trade areas. Great sites drive top-line money; tight ops keep it.
Working with Gala Capital Partners reinforced a core truth: sustainable scale demands patience and internal maturity. Before pushing the gas, Dillas invested in its support office, key hires, systems and process refinement so franchising could be treated as a second, fully formed business — not an add-on. That discipline shows up in everything from onboarding to supply chain, keeping gaps narrow and standards high.
“We’re operations first, sales-driven and profit-smart,” John said. “If my team has the tools they need, I’m successful. With a young brand poised to take off, that foundation is everything.”
The brand’s purpose — building community through primo quesadilla meals — is more than a tagline. Especially in secondary and tertiary markets, teams support local schools, show up for neighborhood events and act like owners. The aim isn’t to be a restaurant in the community; it’s to become the community’s restaurant.
Now, Dillas is candid about fit. The founders prefer “three excellent deals over 12 shaky ones.” Ideal candidates are operators first — often partnerships where one brings capital and the other brings day-to-day leadership. They’re hungry to build teams, obsessed with execution and aligned with the brand’s give-more-than-you-take ethos.
“We’ve worked too hard to say yes to anyone,” Kyle said. “Make smart early decisions, build a solid foundation and you’ll attract best-in-class operators. That’s how you scale a best-in-class product and culture.”
Twelve years in, Dillas has achieved a focused, crave-worthy product with a simplified menu that drives sales. This is supported by lean, tech-enabled operations that protect margins and increase speed, and a real estate strategy prioritizing drive-thru and second-generation locations. And it’s still founder-led, sharpening the sword in company stores while standing shoulder-to-shoulder with franchisees in site selection, build-out and launch.
For more information visit: https://1851franchise.com/dillas-quesadillas.
Dillas Quesadillas
SPONSORED
The QSR-plus franchise has gone from a bold concept to an industry disruptor, refining its model, growing its fan base and carving out a unique space in the fast-casual franchise landscape.
Over 12 focused, feedback-driven years, Dillas Quesadilla has gone from a college-born concept to a category-defining, quesadilla-focused QSR — refining its model, scaling with intention and proving that simplicity, operational excellence and community can power outsized results.
The first Dillas opened with plenty of heart — and a few misses. Some early menu items (the Cali Dilla, the Chickadilla), a lack of chips and queso, and pricing that didn’t match perceived value just didn’t land. The response became a core cultural reflex: “Open our ears and listen to the customer, tweak, change, adjust.” That humility turned into profitability — and a playbook. What didn’t resonate was cut; what guests loved was elevated. Over time, that meant a simplified, crave-forward menu that speeds ordering and execution while preserving freshness and quality.
Co-founder Kyle Gordon brought a “do one thing incredibly well” mindset shaped by his years at Raising Cane’s. He applied a “flow cook chicken fingers” discipline to quesadillas: tight systems, fresh prep with simple steps and an obsession with doing the fundamentals right — every time. The result is “relatively simple operations” and a focused product that shortens time to train, boosts throughput and unlocks high top-line sales without overcomplicating the box.
“At Raising Cane’s, when I was there, we went from 35 to about 135 locations,” Kyle said. “That gave me a lot of validation and insight. I tried to absorb everything I could about what it takes to run a great restaurant — and more importantly, a great restaurant culture.”
The inflection point came in 2018 with the brand’s first franchisee, Pete John in Shreveport. His store’s first-year sales mirrored what Dillas achieved in year three at the original location. That “crystallized the power of franchising” for the founders — a living example of what a tight playbook plus an aligned operator could do.
“My wife and I visited Dillas in Plano and fell in love with the freshness and the vibe. I wanted to be part of it,” John said. “We opened Shreveport, then kept pushing through the unknowns — even during COVID. We recruited great people, innovated and grew to five locations, including a drive-thru, take-out-only prototype and a college-town strategy. There’s no direct quesadilla competitor doing it like Dillas. The lane is wide open.”
Today, Dillas operates 11 locations with nearly $1.9 million AUVs and a fully built franchise infrastructure. Looking ahead, the goal is to expand to 150 locations and beyond, targeting the Southeast and Sunbelt.
“We’re not shy about growth, but we want to do it the right way with the right people,” Kyle said. “We don’t want to grow just to grow. We want the right partners. The people who see this for what it is — a chance to build something meaningful, profitable and fun. We’re disciplined about growth because we want the right people building this brand alongside us.”
Dillas pairs simplicity with smart tech to drop percentage points to the bottom line — freeing cash to fund franchise growth. This includes fixed product management and Sling scheduling to precisely match labor to demand, as well as AI-assisted forecasting to plan prep and reduce waste.
“We do a lot of fresh prep, but the steps are simple,” said co-founder Maggie Gordon. “And now we’re leveraging AI — for prep tools, for scheduling platforms. We’re trying to build a brand that’s ahead of the curve on tech, not catching up.”
Menu simplification, with four quesadillas removed, has increased drive-thru speed and built confidence for first-time guests in new markets. “We leaned into the data,” Kyle said. “Fries are our number one seller, along with quesadillas. So now, every meal includes fries and a drink.”
Furthermore, right-sizing production, such as tightening steps around chicken butchery and brisket smoking, avoids "over-operationalizing" the kitchen. This quiet discipline ultimately results in predictable operations, faster lines, happier teams, and healthier margins.
Dillas has developed robust structures around a straightforward formula: manpower, culture, operations, financial performance and marketing. Strong staffing combined with a positive and accountable culture drive productive operations, which in turn yield predictable profit and loss statements.
“We’ve designed our processes to be simple. We call it ‘time to train’ — and ours is low,” Kyle said. “The systems are simple, but the ingredients are fresh and high-quality. So it’s easy to pick up, but still delivers a primo product. Simple systems plus a craveable product equals speed to profitability.”
Dillas also learned fast that convenience drives the box. Today, roughly 85% of the business flows through convenience channels, with drive-thru as a must-have in new builds whenever possible. Converting a non-drive-thru site to include one delivered ~40% sales lift. The team has tested 11 location types and now prioritizes drive-thru, end-cap, second/third-generation spaces to lower build-out costs and accelerate openings — often in “random-seeming” but community-right trade areas. Great sites drive top-line money; tight ops keep it.
Working with Gala Capital Partners reinforced a core truth: sustainable scale demands patience and internal maturity. Before pushing the gas, Dillas invested in its support office, key hires, systems and process refinement so franchising could be treated as a second, fully formed business — not an add-on. That discipline shows up in everything from onboarding to supply chain, keeping gaps narrow and standards high.
“We’re operations first, sales-driven and profit-smart,” John said. “If my team has the tools they need, I’m successful. With a young brand poised to take off, that foundation is everything.”
The brand’s purpose — building community through primo quesadilla meals — is more than a tagline. Especially in secondary and tertiary markets, teams support local schools, show up for neighborhood events and act like owners. The aim isn’t to be a restaurant in the community; it’s to become the community’s restaurant.
Now, Dillas is candid about fit. The founders prefer “three excellent deals over 12 shaky ones.” Ideal candidates are operators first — often partnerships where one brings capital and the other brings day-to-day leadership. They’re hungry to build teams, obsessed with execution and aligned with the brand’s give-more-than-you-take ethos.
“We’ve worked too hard to say yes to anyone,” Kyle said. “Make smart early decisions, build a solid foundation and you’ll attract best-in-class operators. That’s how you scale a best-in-class product and culture.”
Twelve years in, Dillas has achieved a focused, crave-worthy product with a simplified menu that drives sales. This is supported by lean, tech-enabled operations that protect margins and increase speed, and a real estate strategy prioritizing drive-thru and second-generation locations. And it’s still founder-led, sharpening the sword in company stores while standing shoulder-to-shoulder with franchisees in site selection, build-out and launch.
For more information visit: https://1851franchise.com/dillas-quesadillas.
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