Restaurant group Tortilla saw sales rise by a fifth over the past year as the Mexican-themed chain despite the impact of train strikes and poor weather.
The 85-strong chains said revenues rose 20% to £57.7m over the 12 months to January 1, compared with the same period the previous year.
Tortilla's growth was driven by the opening of 18 new venues, including in Durham, Canterbury and Coventry. And it also told investors it has a “strong pipeline” of new venues to open in coming months, including sites in Derby and Greenwich, London.
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Growth was also boosted by its takeover of rival Chilango in May last year. And the group hailed a 16% rise in like-for-like sales over the latest quarter compared with pre-pandemic levels.
Managers said this came “despite challenging trading conditions in December due to the combined impact of poor weather and multiple train strikes”.
The London-based company said it also controlled costs while seeing "strong trade” for most of the period and therefore expects profits for the year to be in line with previous targets.
Chief executive Richard Morris said: “During difficult economic times, restaurants that offer great, consistent food at competitive price points will be the winners, and we sit comfortably in this space.
“We continued to achieve excellent strategic progress during 2022, in line with our long-term growth strategy.
“Looking ahead, we remain as motivated and enthusiastic as ever about Tortilla’s significant organic growth opportunities in the UK, with the added excitement of growing our already successful franchise partnerships, both in the UK and abroad.”