UT alum brings fan-favorite Fajita Pete’s to Austin

“In Austin, it is impossible to sit down at a restaurant on a Friday evening at a reasonable time.” 

This observation comes as no surprise to residents of the booming metro, but serial entrepreneur and University of Texas alum Michael Blalock aims to bring a solution to frustrated Austin residents.

In the past decade, Austin has grown by over half a million residents, earning the title of the nation’s fastest-growing large metro area. This new reality has brought about new challenges for the foodie community.

“The city is always wanting something new,” says food blogger Austin Eater. Yet, like many other growing cities, consistent food quality, service and convenience have become nearly impossible for traditional restaurants to achieve. “It can be frustrating as a consumer.”

Enter an unlikely hero—the self-proclaimed fajita fanatics of Fajita Pete’s, a streamlined fajita takeout concept with over 25 locations open in Houston and Dallas.

“In Austin, there’s a spirit of adventure, and a real need for great takeout and delivery options,” says Blalock, citing just a few of the reasons he chose to champion Fajita Pete’s in Austin. 

Blalock’s first Austin location is now open at 5523A Balcones Dr, but Blalock doesn’t plan to stop there. Named one of America’s Hottest Startup Fast Casuals for 2020 and one of 2021’s Best Franchise Deals, Fajita Pete’s raving fan base and an efficient brick and mortar footprint afford multi-unit franchisees like Blalock the unique position to quickly multiply the pandemic-resistant powerhouse brand. Blalock shares that there are already five more area locations in the works and long-term plans for a dozen or more. 

“My family and I were fans of Fajita Pete’s for a long time before I became a franchisee,” Blalock says. “It instantly became our go-to for family gatherings, for tailgates, for office parties—and it’s an honor to bring this option to Austin.” 

Why fajitas? 

Many consider fajitas a traditional, time-consuming, and strictly sitdown experience (complete with a sizzling skillet), but Fajita Pete’s founder Pedro “Pete” Mora has no problem deviating from fajita tradition. 

“At Fajita Pete’s, it’s not about flair. It’s about quality and convenience. Period.” 

Mora founded Fajita Pete’s in 2008, flipping the script and slashing the notoriously complex Tex-Mex menu to streamline operations for takeout, delivery, and catering.

“We picked the best handmade Tex-Mex recipes for travel. You may have had fajitas,” Mora says, “but you’ve never had them like this in the comfort of your own home or office.” 

“For me, it’s exciting when people try Fajita Pete’s for the first time,” Blalock says. “Whatever you’re expecting, we’re going to surpass your expectations. We’ll stop at nothing to be your go-to place for fajitas.”

Giving back to the community 

In keeping with Fajita Pete’s tradition, Blalock wasted no time connecting with local Austin community organizations to find an opportunity to give back.

Four days before the restaurant officially opened its doors, Fajita Pete’s donated $2,500 to the Neighborhood Longhorns Program, which offers economically disadvantaged 2nd through 8th graders the opportunity to envision attending college through incentives and scholarships. The store also pledged 100 meals to feed the entire staff at the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Austin who provide after school programs, vocational training and mentorship to thousands of area youth. 

“Being part of Fajita Pete’s has been a blast, with a lot of hard work and incredibly rewarding interactions,” says Blalock. “And, of course, a lot of queso for me on a personal level.”

About Fajita Pete’s

Fajita Pete’s is Flavor That Delivers. A natural category disrupter amongst Tex-Mex and takeout alike, Fajita Pete’s spent over a decade perfecting the handmade Tex-Mex delivery model. Unapologetically designed for off-premise dining, and under the humble leadership of Pedro “Pete” Mora, this streamlined fan-favorite fajita concept is poised to make fajitas famous throughout the nation. Fajita Pete’s currently has an ‘open and awarded pipeline’ of over 100 units across Texas, Colorado, Kansas, Illinois and Arizona.

The brand earned a spot on QSR Magazine’s 40/40 List: America’s Hottest Startup Fast Casuals for 2020 and was named one of QSR’s Best Franchise Deals for 2021. Fajita Pete’s was also twice awarded first place at Houston’s Fajita Festival and outside of Texas was recently named Best Fajitas in Kansas City. 
Markets open for development include Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Texas. For more information, visit franchisefajitapetes.com and follow Fajita Pete’s on Facebook @fajitapetestx and Instagram @fajitapetes.