The Pancho Villa chain is doing well despite the downturn in the restaurant industry. We asked the CEO why the chain’s restaurants are so popular in Finland.
The Pancho Villa restaurant chain serving Tex-Mex food has grown steadily over the past decade. The chain’s restaurants have maintained their popularity: currently, in the capital region, there are even queues at Pancho Villas at lunchtime.
Finland’s 57th Pancho Villa restaurant was recently opened in Riihimäki. Iltalehti visited the opening of the restaurant to find out why the restaurant chain is so popular.
Managing director Teemu Vanharanta welcomes the reporter and cameraman to the restaurant at lunchtime. It’s 11 o’clock, and there’s a line snaking outside the restaurant. The opening has clearly attracted interested customers.
Riihimäki’s restaurant was set up quickly. Preparations for the restaurant began in March, and a suitable space was found ready.
People queued at Pancho Villa in Riihimäki at the opening of the restaurant on June 11, 2026. Tom Natri
According to Vanharanta, the chain has grown at a moderate pace. A more targeted expansion can be considered to have started in 2013, when the chain had 12 restaurants. Growth has been a conscious choice.
– Success has been sought with determination and we believe that the concept will carry, he says.
At no point have we specialized in just one product, but the aim has been to offer something for everyone. However, the customers’ favorite dish is the cheeseburger, which has been preserved since the beginning.
Vanharanta considers the franchising model and the restaurant entrepreneurs of the chain to be one of the explanations for the success story. The responsibility is shared, which makes it easier for all parties.
– In franchising, the support of the chain helps in doing things. The role of customer service and staff management remains with the entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs trust the know-how of chain management, he says.
There is no need to reinvent the wheel, Vanharanta says. In his opinion, as a manager, it is important to be close to the entrepreneurs of the chain, and not shout from the ivory tower.
– We want to involve entrepreneurs and be at the same table with them. Franchising is a cooperative game.
In total, the chain employs around 600 employees.
– We struggle with the same issues as privately owned restaurants. It hasn’t been easy in the restaurant industry since Corona, and then the Russian war of aggression started, which raised raw material prices considerably. You have to work for things all the time. Even if you grow, you can’t rest on your laurels.
According to CEO Teemu Vanharanna, Pancho Villa serves Tex-Mex food with a “Finnish twist”. Tom Natri
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Despite the difficult situation in the restaurant industry, Pancho Villa’s expansion continues: in Finland, and possibly also in Estonia or Sweden.
– In autumn, the 58th restaurant will be opened in Kauhajoki. 60 will come easily, 70 maybe in some time, Vanharanta paints.
– Pancho Villa has been received really well in smaller places, for example in Varkaus.
Among other things, visibility on many different channels is important. The chain strives to collaborate with influencers on social media, and in addition, entrepreneurs market their own restaurants locally. Vanharanta sees that as an additional advantage.
Pancho Villa could open new restaurants in, for example, shopping centers in the capital region, Porvoo and Joensuu, the chain manager reveals. Tom Natri
Restaurant menus are kept up-to-date by updating them at regular intervals. Tom Natri
According to Vanharanta, Pancho Villa’s image is relaxed, relaxed and unadorned. Customers know what they are getting when they come to the restaurant. In addition, the price-quality ratio has been considered reasonable.
– We consider very carefully where we want to go, because we don’t have to grow recklessly, Vanharanta says.
Every place should be such that an entrepreneur can do profitable business there. For example, shopping centers and cobblestones are suitable places for Pancho Villa’s business. Most customers come at lunchtime and in the evenings.
In Pancho Villas, faith in the future has been maintained.
– We have grown to believe that this concept will support entrepreneurs and thus the chain.
Difficult times have been overcome, for example, by negotiating the prices of raw materials and considering the number of personnel. All the while trying to find a level at which the business remains profitable.
– If you compare it to the time before the corona, you can work here all the time.
Teemu Vanharanta started working at Pancho Villa 20 years ago as a waiter. Over the years, he has advanced to become the CEO of the chain. Tom Natri
