Steven Marks grew up in New York. He went into finance. And then life happened, and he found himself living in Australia.
Australia has many wonderful things. But what it didn’t have at the time was much in the way of good Mexican food—the sort of food Marks grew up with in the U.S.
So Marks started a Mexican concept himself, launching Guzman y Gomez Mexican Kitchen, named in honor of friends and known as GYG, in 2006 with a childhood buddy Robert Hazan.
That concept now has more than 220 units in Australia, Singapore and Japan, about 65% of which are company owned. Last year, GYG went public in Australia and the chain has done more than $1 billion in revenue.
Marks said people may ask, “How can a New Yorker start a Mexican company in Australia, and it one day becomes the best and biggest in the world?"
"Because that’s our mission,” he said.
It’s a good question.
Achieving that goal may require cracking the big nut that is the U.S. market.
GYG first opened in the U.S. in 2020, and now the chain has six units in Chicago (all but one company owned), with No. 7 scheduled to open July 17, and another (in Chicago’s Bucktown neighborhood) coming in December. Another two are planned for 2026.
Marks is very aware how much more competition there is in the fast-casual and fast-food Mexican world here. But he strongly believes his brand brings something different to the segment so dominated by Chipotle, or even Taco Bell.
Marks calls GYG fast food, though the menu appears to lean more fast casual. | Photos courtesy of Guzman Y Gomez.
Like Chipotle, GYG’s menu of burritos, tacos, bowls and quesadillas is built around high-quality, clean ingredients.
“Clean is the new healthy,” said Marks. “You don’t need kale and quinoa salads for the rest of your life, but, if you eat a French fry, it should be a potato, clean oil, clean seasoning.”
Unlike Chipotle, however, GYG offers breakfast (“brekkie”), lunch and dinner. And, yes, there are fries, which can be tucked into burritos (California style) or topped like nachos. There are also chicken tenders, and soft-serve ice cream for dessert. And a coffee program of espresso-based drinks.
There are other differences. GYG, for example, offers the option of mini version of burritos and bowls, which Marks believes will appeal to the growing number of American consumers on GLP-1 drugs who can’t (or don’t want to) eat giant portions.
The average check is about $12, and most units are in-line (some with drive-thru), with about 40 to 70 seats.
Fries are on the menu at GYG. | Photo courtesy of Guzman Y Gomez.
It’s been somewhat of a slow start in the U.S., however.
An earnings presentation for the first half of 2025, indicated sales for the (then four) U.S. locations were down more than 42% year over year, though same-store sales for GYG in Australia were up 9.4%.
Marks said the company has invested heavily in labor in the U.S. locations while they work on the operating model here to get it right before franchising. He added that from January through March, sales were up close to 15%-20% over the prior year in the U.S. units.
His plan is to reach 15 units in Chicago to show proof of concept in the U.S. before looking to move to other markets.
But it’s going to take time. For now, the focus is on building revenue and brand awareness, Marks said.
“The P&L for the restaurant, we’ll get that in time,” he said. “We want to build a brand that people love.”