HOUSTON — National Mexican food chains have a difficult time breaking into the Houston market, which has a number of powerful regional brands and independent Tex-Mex eateries.
“Houston is ground zero for stateside Mexican food,” says shopping center leasing specialist Matt Keener of the CB Richard Ellis commercial real estate firm. “Southern California, you hear about that a little bit. But it’s nothing like this. If you want good Mexican food and lots of opportunities to eat it at good Mexican joints, Houston is the place.”
No official statistic exists, but Houston may have 1 million square feet of retail space devoted to Mexican food in its various forms.