Willy’s Mexicana Grill

Willy’s Mexicana Grill is an Atlanta-based fast-casual Mexican restaurant chain that serves burritos, bowls, tacos, and salads prepared to order in an open-kitchen line. Guests choose their ingredients as they move down the line, with an emphasis on fresh produce, grilled proteins, and salsas made in-house. The concept sits in the same general competitive set as national fast-casual Mexican brands, but Willy’s has built its reputation as a homegrown Georgia operator with a strong local following.

The company was founded in 1995 by chef Willy Bitter, a classically trained restaurateur who moved from Aspen to Atlanta and opened the first Willy’s on Roswell Road. He drew on time spent in Colorado burrito shops and a focus on simple, fresh Mexican flavors that would work for everyday meals. What began as a single neighborhood restaurant gradually expanded across metro Atlanta and into other Georgia markets, reaching regional brand recognition as it approached 30 locations and developed a loyal base around its “Burrito Happiness” theme.

As of April 2023, Willy’s operates approximately 31 company-owned restaurants, all in Georgia. Most are located in the Atlanta metropolitan area, with additional units in Athens, Peachtree City, and select other communities across the state. The chain primarily occupies inline and endcap spaces in multi-tenant retail centers, lifestyle centers, and busy suburban corridors that support consistent lunch and dinner traffic, including college and employment hubs.

Over the past five years, Willy’s has focused on updating its restaurants, investing in digital ordering, and growing its catering business. The brand has also tested and rolled out drive-thru and pickup-forward layouts in select locations to better support off-premise sales and consumer demand for convenience. Expansion has been steady but controlled, centered on infill opportunities and targeted new sites within existing Georgia trade areas rather than rapid moves into new states.

Willy’s remains privately held and founder-led, with all units company-owned. This structure allows the team to be selective about real estate, manage build-out quality, and adapt prototypes to different centers and corridors. For landlords, brokers, and developers, Willy’s brings nearly three decades of operating history, a clear two-daypart focus around lunch and dinner, and flexible formats that can perform in neighborhood centers, power centers, and urban or near-urban street retail across established Georgia markets.