connecting every sector of the UK Food Industry

Tortilla founder returns as leadership reshaped

The founder of UK Mexican restaurant group Tortillahas returned to the business to lead its next phase of growth, following the departure of its chief executive and a series of senior management appointments drawn from across the UK casual dining sector.

Founder Brandon Stephenshas resumed an executive leadership role, taking a more hands-on position in steering the business as it refocuses on operational performance, brand consistency and sustainable expansion.

The leadership change comes amid sustained pressure on margins, labour availability and consumer spending across the UK foodservice market, prompting many mid-sized restaurant groups to reassess leadership structures and growth strategies.

Senior hires from Leon and Gail’s

Alongside Stephens’ return, Tortilla has strengthened its senior team with appointments drawn from Leonand Gail’s, bringing experience in operational discipline, people management and brand-led growth.

While full role details have yet to be disclosed, the appointments signal a renewed focus on execution, unit economics and consistency across the estate rather than rapid expansion alone.

Company background: scale with founder DNA

Founded in October 2007, Tortilla was established by Brandon and Jen Stephensafter identifying a gap in the UK market for a high-quality, fun and welcoming fast-casual Mexican restaurant, inspired by the taquerias of their native San Francisco.

The brand launched its first digital ordering offer in 2010 and has since developed a fully multi-channel model spanning dine-in, self-serve, takeaway, click & collect, meal kits and delivery.

Today, Tortilla operates more than 80 restaurants across the UK, alongside 10 sites in the Middle East, a growing cloud-kitchen estate and partnerships with leading delivery platforms. The group employs approximately 1,100 peopleand has expanded to over 100 locations globally.

Growth has been accelerated through strategic acquisitions, including Chilango Limitedin 2022 and Fresh Burritosin June 2024 — the latter adding company-owned and franchised sites in major French cities and providing a platform for wider European franchise expansion.

Despite its scale, Tortilla says its founding mission remains unchanged: “making life better with burritos”— delivering high-quality, affordable food in a fast-casual format.

UK Food Council insight

The return of founder leadership, supported by senior operators from proven UK brands, reflects a wider sector trend towards tighter operational control and clearer brand focus as foodservice businesses navigate a more demanding trading environment.

HOME   ABOUT   INITIATIVES   INSIGHTS   MEMBERSHIP   PARTNERSHIP   EVENTS   CONTACT   LOGIN

The UK Food Council works in partnership with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to strengthen food systems, promote sustainability, and advance food security across the UK and beyond. We invite individuals, businesses, and organisations in the food industry to join us in building a more resilient and sustainable future. Together, we can improve food access, support innovation, and ensure food security for generations to come.

UK Food Council Insight — Register Free

The UK Food Council hosts exclusive executive events, connecting food industry leaders through focus groups, roundtables, seminars, and conferences.

Privacy Policy I Terms and Conditions I Contact Us

The following creatives, photographers and production teams assisted in the making of this website: Tima Miroshnichenko I Cottonbro I Michael Gaida I Peter H I Ralf Siebeck I Wilfried Pohnke I Achim Scholty I Miguel Á. Padriñán I Patrick Robert Doyle I Milan Csizmadia I Raphaël Tomi-Tricot I Bianca Lucas I Dmitry Vechorko I Egor Vikhrev I Jonathan Farber I Craig Whitehead I Ruslan Gamzaliev I Ryoji Iwata I Constantin Lordache I Ben White I NASA I Matt Moloney I Kaboompics I S Migaj I Fauxels I Tranmautritam I Brian McGowan I Richard Gatley I Ron Lach I Andrea Piacquadio I Alexander Shatov I Amy Hirschi Kaleidico I Tranmautritam I Helena I Alex GorbiI Alexander Andrews I Deksha Pahariya I Jack Niles I Mitchell Luo I Edmond Dantès Jakob Owens I Monstera I Bulkan Evciman I Ruvim Miksanskiy I KoolShooters I Kévin et Laurianne Langlais I Ketut Subiyanto I Hulki Okan Tabak I Huy Phan I Matheus I Cenali Egor Kamelev I Christian Heitz I Singkham I Shvets Production I Bruno Martins I Dani Hart I Matheus Bertelli I James Watt I Mali Maeder I Christina & Peter I Anthony I Anna Tarazevich I Kevin Tanner Dan Rooney I Rene Terp I Cihan Yüce I Davide Baraldi I Arno Senoner I Matt Seymour I Tanya Barrow I Nick Fewings I Apurv Das I Taras Chernus I Hailey Tong I Yogesh Pedamkar I Jakob Cotton I
Christopher Eden I Aurelien Chateaudon I Michael-Carrasco-Flores I Drew Gilliam I Victor Clime I

© 2026 UK Food Council. All rights reserved. Registered in England and Wales. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA, and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Partners: Amadeus IT Group I Cognito I Ingenious I Smithfields AIT I SoftBank I Rothamere I Economist

#farming #food #foodproduction #foodservice #grocery #restaurant #technology #logistics #sustainability #foodsupply #foodmanufacturing #pos #restaurants # #hunger #menus #supplychain #foodsecurity 

Copyright © 2002 - 2026 UK Food Council. All rights reserved.