---
title: "Tijuana Flats Awards First Franchise in 13 Years to Panama City"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/c25f712a-2f3c-4cf1-afb4-0ad9a8acf93e
source: "Franchising.com"
original_url: https://www.franchising.com/news/20201111_tijuana_flats_awards_first_franchise_in_13_years_to_panama_city.html
category: "Mexican"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Mexican"
topics: ["Emerging brands"]
published: 2020-11-11T12:00:00.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T02:31:10.753Z
image: https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1504674900247-0877df9cc836?w=1600&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop
---

# Tijuana Flats Awards First Franchise in 13 Years to Panama City

**TL;DR:** Tijuana Flats awards its first franchise in 13 years to Bob Amin in Panama City, Florida. The brand is returning to franchising and targeting the eastern part of the country and Texas for expansion.

*originally published in Franchising.com on 2020-11-11. [Read the original](https://www.franchising.com/news/20201111_tijuana_flats_awards_first_franchise_in_13_years_to_panama_city.html).*

## Story

“This is a great opportunity for me,” said Amin. “I’ve had my eye on Tijuana Flats for a long time and I was so pleased to hear they were returning to franchising and chose me as their first franchisee.”

Over the past 25 years, Tijuana Flats has established itself as one of the most popular fast-casual Tex-Mex restaurants in the Southeast. With locations in Florida, North Carolina, Indiana and Virginia, the brand is now making a move targeting the eastern part of the country and Texas.

“Bob Amin has a lot of experience, and that is exactly what we are looking for as we begin our expansion,” said Eric Taylor, Tijuana Flats Vice President, Development. “He’s a great fit for our brand, and we are looking forward to seeing what he can do with the new panhandle location.”

Amin knew when he was in college that he wanted to be his own boss and was able to invest in convenience stores across the state of Florida. He then moved into the restaurant business, purchasing franchises with Marco’s Pizza and Checkers.

He likes the Tijuana Flats model and thinks it will be a great addition to the Panama City restaurant scene.

“The area is full of traditional concepts,” said Amin. “Tijuana Flats is unique and will really stand out. The food is just phenomenal.”

Amin is also impressed by the process of becoming a Tijuana Flats franchisee. He is hoping others will join the company because of its uncommon approach to finding the best people.

“It’s been really fun,” he said. “Everyone there is so friendly, and it’s like a family environment.”

The Panama City Tijuana Flats is currently in the planning stages and is set to open in 2021.

## Entities

- Franchising.com (publication)
- Restaurants (sector)
- brand expansion (topic)
- Checkers (company)
- Marco's Pizza (company)
- franchise award (topic)
- restaurant franchising (topic)
- Tijuana Flats (company)
- Panama City (location)

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Originally reported by Franchising.com (https://www.franchising.com/news/20201111_tijuana_flats_awards_first_franchise_in_13_years_to_panama_city.html). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/c25f712a-2f3c-4cf1-afb4-0ad9a8acf93e).