Guzman y Gomez Mexican Kitchen

About Us - Guzman Y Gomez

Since day ONE, GYG HAS been obsessed with making delicious Mexican food using ONLY the best quality fresh produce.

Guzman y Gomez was founded in Sydney in 2006 by New Yorkers and childhood best friends Steven Marks and Robert Hazan. Steven, a former hedge fund manager, and Robert, who had a background in fashion wholesale and retail, both missed the authentic fresh flavours of Mexican cuisine that they had grown up with in America. 

After realising that there was a genuine gap in the Australian market for fresh, clean Mexican food, they decided to create their own restaurant named Guzman y Gomez to honour their childhood friends. Steven and Robert had a vision to build a restaurant business that had the speed and convenience of fast food but to re-invent the fast food category by serving high-quality food.

They then set about ensuring the brand was authentic to its core and established GYG’s values which remain today. Every detail in establishing the brand was thought out. The brand’s main colours were developed as well as the bespoke GYG font in the logo (look carefully and you will see the GYG font is made of sticky tape to represent the amazing street art of Mexico). 

My mindset when we started was whatever we were building, I wanted it to be the best. We make everything fresh. We never compromise.

– Steven Marks (Founder and CO-CEO)

Steven and Robert then set about designing the bespoke operating platform & sticker system which remains one of the fastest fresh fast food operating platforms in the world; ensuring GYG could prepare and make high-quality fresh burritos, nachos & tacos at speed.

The first Guzman y Gomez restaurant opened in Newtown in 2006. From the outset, Steven was adamant that GYG would never compromise on the quality of the food or its people. Chefs from Mexico were hired to bring the authentic taste and flavours to life and the process of assembling a team of the best restaurant operators in the country began, many of whom are franchisees in the business today.

GYG Newtown was followed by Bondi Junction and Kings Cross, and by April 2012 there were 12 Guzman y Gomez restaurants. Over the next ten years, the brand expanded interstate and then went global, opening at the end of 2013 in Singapore followed by Japan in 2015, and then to the USA, Steven and Robert’s homeland, in 2020.

GYG’s commitment to reinvent fast food continued to inspire new ways to serve fresh, Clean food to everyone. From the first Drive Thru in Nerang on the Gold Coast in 2015, to menu innovations like Breakfast, the Minis range, and 100% Clean Fries, to a market-leading app for guests to order ahead and earn loyalty points, the GYG love just kept spreading! 

Today GYG operates over 200 restaurants in Australia, Singapore, Japan, and the United States. Steven Marks remains the Founder and Co-CEO of the business globally and is supported by a team of over 15,000 employees in restaurants and 200 people in our ‘Hola Central’ head offices.

With a goal to open over 30 restaurants a year globally, Steven and Robert’s dream is only just getting started…not bad for a couple of kids from New York. 

Love Ya!

GYG by the numbers!

Number of GYG Restaurants

200+

Restaurants
GYG Operating Internationally

4

Countries
Number of crew at GYG 2

15000+

Crew
About us - customers

800000+

customers a week
Burritos sold per hour

450-500+

Burritos sold per hour
Kg of Avocados used

1.9M +

kg of avocados used a year in Australia!

Brand Growth

GYG now spans over 200+ restaurants in 4 countries across Australia, Singapore, Japan and the US. 

Hola GYG!

First restaurant opened in Newtown, Sydney.

2006

Welcome Investors

Guy Russo and Steve Jermyn invest in GYG and join the board.

2009

First GYG Franchise

Our first franchised restaurant opens in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane, paving the way for GYG's future growth through franchising.

2010

GYG opens in Singapore

First international restaurant opens, with GYG launching at Asia Square, Singapore.

2013

GYG opens in Japan

First Japan restaurant opens in Harajuku, Tokyo.

2015

100% Fresh Free Range Chicken

GYG becomes the first national Australian QSR brand to switch to free-range chicken across it's entire network.

2016

Welcome TDM!

TDM Growth Partners take a minority stake in GYG.

2018

Clean Menu

Launch of 100% Clean menu. The initiative is supported by GYG's "Clean is the New Healthy" marketing campaign. GYG's 100% Clean menu and marketing helps differentiate GYG from QSR competitors.

2019

GYG opens in US

First US restaurant opens in Naperville, Chicago.

2020

The new GYG App

Launch of the new, award-winning mobile app and website.

2022

200th Restaurant and Co-CEO Announcement

Our 200th global restaurant opens in Cairns, Queensland. Hilton Brett becomes Co-CEO of GYG alongside Steven Marks.

2023

GYG mobile ordering app

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