---
title: "Mike's Red Tacos lands 36-unit Florida agreement"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/c9755d56-9c59-42b8-bbb6-fcd5b78aa755
source: "Franchise Magazine USA"
original_url: https://franchisemagazineusa.com/mikes-red-tacos-lands-36-unit-florida-agreement/
author: "Andrew Carlo"
category: "Mexican"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Mexican"
published: 2026-10-26T16:36:10.000Z
modified: 2026-10-31T21:42:08.926Z
image: https://franchisemagazineusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Mikes-Red-Tacos-Logo2.jpg
---

# Mike's Red Tacos lands 36-unit Florida agreement

**TL;DR:** Mike's Red Tacos has reached an agreement with Built Different Brands to open 36 locations in Florida, with the first opening planned for 2027. Built Different Brands, led by CEO Kal Gullapalli, operates over 80 franchise locations in five states.

*By Andrew Carlo, originally published in Franchise Magazine USA on 2026-10-26. [Read the original](https://franchisemagazineusa.com/mikes-red-tacos-lands-36-unit-florida-agreement/).*

## Story

The fast casual brand, specializing in signature birria and red tacos, has reached an agreement with Built Different Brands. Under the terms of the 36-unit agreement, Built Different Brands plans to open locations in the Tampa and Orlando regions, in addition to Florida’s East Coast.

Built Different Brands operates more than 80 franchise locations in five states, including the Dave’s Hot Chicken, Marco’s Pizza, PopUp Bagels, and VIO Med Spa brands, among others.

According to Mike’s Red Hot Chicken, this agreement was spearheaded Kal Gullapalli, CEO of Built Different Brands. An initial opening is planned for 2027.

“Birria and consome offer a craveable, shareable experience with genuine authenticity that has a real draw for consumers,” said Gullapalli. “In addition to the incredible menu, our team has already built the well-oiled machine needed to work through site selection and real estate considerations as we grow Mike’s Red Tacos across Florida. The birria is enough to make this brand stand out, but it’s truly the people behind the company who will drive its success.”

Mike’s Red Tacos was established by Mike Touma in 2021 as a food truck operation. The brand now has three locations in the San Diego market, with a fourth opening soon in Pasadena.

“Kal and the Built Different Brands team lead large-scale restaurant brands and have the industry know-how we look for in franchisees,” said Vincent Montanelli, president of Mike’s Red Tacos. “I’m confident residents across Florida will come to love Mike’s as much as we do. As we advance our nationwide franchise growth strategy, we’re focused on bringing experienced operators like Kal into the system who have the infrastructure and expertise to bring our vision to life. We look forward to seeing what his team accomplishes across Florida.”

Beyond Florida, Mike’s Red Tacos said it has more than 350 units committed nationwide.

## Entities

- unit expansion (topic)
- QSR (sector)
- Franchise Magazine USA (publication)
- Florida (location)
- franchise agreement (topic)
- Andrew Carlo (person)
- restaurant growth (topic)
- Mike's Red Tacos (company)
- Vincent Montanelli (person)
- fast casual brand (topic)
- Kal Gullapalli (person)
- Mike Touma (person)

---
Originally reported by Andrew Carlo, Franchise Magazine USA (https://franchisemagazineusa.com/mikes-red-tacos-lands-36-unit-florida-agreement/). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/c9755d56-9c59-42b8-bbb6-fcd5b78aa755).