--- title: "Urbane Café prepares for growth outside California with a slow-and-steady pace" url: https://burnaze.com/article/dee4d985-37c7-4d08-80c3-50aac149d616 source: "Restaurant Business" original_url: https://restaurantbusinessonline.com/emerging-brands/urbane-cafe-prepares-growth-outside-california-slow-steady-pace category: "Restaurants" industry: "Restaurants" published: 2026-10-05T19:05:40.000Z modified: 2026-10-31T14:43:41.707Z image: https://cdn.informaconnect.com/platform/files/public/2026-10/background/Chimichurri-Steak-Social-0055.JPG?VersionId=uoniA5ZElg.RMi6k7h9512E8DJ1FEDcD --- # Urbane Café prepares for growth outside California with a slow-and-steady pace **TL;DR:** Urbane Café, a fast-casual chain, is preparing for growth outside California with a goal to hit 100 units by 2030, averaging a 20% growth rate over two decades. The company-owned chain has received investment from the founders of Panda Express and is focused on slow and steady growth without private-equity funding. *originally published in Restaurant Business on 2026-10-05. [Read the original](https://restaurantbusinessonline.com/emerging-brands/urbane-cafe-prepares-growth-outside-california-slow-steady-pace).* ## Key facts - Urbane Café averages 20% growth rate - Goal to hit 100 units by 2030 - All restaurants are company owned ## Story Averaging a 20% growth rate over two decades may not be the sexiest of business stories, but it’s certainly an enviable one in the fast-casual space. That’s according to Tom Holt, president and CEO of Urbane Café, which opened its 45th location last month. Unit number 45 opened in the Glendale neighborhood of Los Angeles, and Urbane is planning to add two more restaurants this year, both in California. Next year, another eight or nine units are planned, and the Ventura, California-based chain is moving out of California. The concept is open in Nevada, and next year will come to Arizona. Holt said the chain is looking for sites in Utah. ## Growth plans The goal is to hit 100 units by 2030. And all restaurants are company owned. Holt has no plans to franchise. Urbane Café’s growth comes without private-equity funding, though the chain did receive an investment in 2017 from the founders of Panda Express. Andrew and Peggy Cherng have long been supporters of small growing brands. Holt described Andrew Cherng as a mentor who has helped guide Urbane’s slow-and-steady all-company-owned growth. Holt said the brand “dated” some private-equity firms early on. “But I wasn’t ready. The concept wasn’t ready. I wouldn’t know where we’d be right now [if the chain took a private-equity investment],” he said. “We’d probably have more units, but I probably wouldn’t have my seat right now.” And things are looking pretty good from Holt’s seat for Urbane Café, which has an average unit volume of $2.1 million in about 1,800-square feet. That’s exceptional compared with Jersey Mike’s ($1.4 million) and Subway ($510,000), according to Technomic data. The roughly 3,400-unit Jersey Mike's and more-than 18,000-unit Subway are both heavily franchised. Holt said Urbane Café’s same-store sales are up about 4% this year, though traffic has been flat. The cyclospora outbreak had an impact, Holt said, though Urbane Café was in no way implicated. Still, all sandwiches are served with salads. For a while, he said, “You could see guests leaving [the salads]. But now people are eating salads again.” ## Menu and quality focus Urbane Café is, at its core, a sandwich concept, but a more premium one. Holt founded the concept in 2003 to be a more healthful option. At the center of each restaurant is a hearth, and the chain’s signature focaccia is baked from scratch in each restaurant. That’s a real differentiator in comparison to brands like Subway or Jersey Mike’s, which bake bread in stores, but the dough is made off site. “It would be a lot easier doing a commissary or doing frozen dough,” said Holt. “But I personally eat at our restaurants every day, and my family does. And I feel strongly about offering the best quality possible.” Holt argues that Urbane Café doesn’t get enough credit for its scratch cooking. “But it’s something I feel good about, and I think our team does,” he said. “This builds into culture.” At Urbane Café, sandwiches account for about 65% of sales, but the chain added bowls about four years ago, and that category has been growing. A recently introduced Garlic Sesame Steak Bowl has become a top seller, for example — and is yet another indicator that consumers are not tired of bowls, as is often reported. Holt is working on building Urbane Café’s catering program, which is now about 10% of sales, and he sees a real opportunity there. “We’re a little behind,” he said. “Catering is up 30% from last year, but there’s so much room to build on that.” At Urbane Café, guests order on kiosks, but there are also cashiers who are trained to add a touch of hospitality by offering assistance or giving diners the option of ordering via human at the counter. The average check at Urbane is $25.05, according to Technomic. That’s significantly higher than peers like Jersey Mike’s ($19.20), Mendocino Farms ($17.30) or Jason’s Deli ($16.20). Urbane Café is entering a new phase of growth, as it moves out of California, though Holt still sees plenty of white space in the Golden State too. But the plan is to continue the (relative) turtle pace. “You hear about these private equity deals, and they’re blowing up. Some of these concepts do 100 units a year, and it’s a lot. And we’re chugging along at 20%,” he said. “We feel very fortunate that we have banks that supported our growth and understood that 20% is good growth for us.” *Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.* Lisa Jennings is a veteran restaurant industry reporter and editor who covers the fast-casual sector, independent restaurants and emerging chain concepts. ## Entities - unit expansion (topic) - QSR (sector) - menu pricing (topic) - private equity (topic) - California (location) - Restaurant Business (publication) - Subway (company) - Arizona (location) - Jersey Mike's (company) - Utah (location) - Nevada (location) - growth plans (topic) --- Originally reported by Restaurant Business (https://restaurantbusinessonline.com/emerging-brands/urbane-cafe-prepares-growth-outside-california-slow-steady-pace). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/dee4d985-37c7-4d08-80c3-50aac149d616).