It was founded in Canberra by then-medical student Sam Prince with the idea of using the profits to support humanitarian causes. The chain donates a meal to someone in need in the developing world for every meal purchased through their Plate4Plate program.[1]
Zambrero is one of Australia’s largest Mexican food franchise with over 245 restaurants globally.[2]
Zambrero opened its first restaurant in Lonsdale Street, Braddon in 2005,[3] opening its 100th restaurant a decade later in Midland, Western Australia.[4] Zambrero was recognised as one of Australia’s fastest growing franchises on the BRW Fastest Franchises List for 2011, 2012 and 2013 and Fast 100 List for 2014 and 2015.[5][6][7][8] As of October 2019, Zambrero had 200 restaurants worldwide.[9]
Zambrero opened its first restaurant in New Zealand in November 2014, in Dublin, Ireland in March 2016[10] and opened its first two restaurants in United States on 20 March 2018. [11]
Philanthropy
In conjunction with partner organisation Rise Against Hunger, Zambrero's Plate 4 Plate initiative have donated 50,000,000 meals.[12][13][14]
The company had shifted from an earlier goal of supplying educational resources to indigenous communities and developing countries, for which Prince had founded the E-magine Foundation in 2007, to reducing global hunger.[15]
Accolades
Zambrero won the “Australian Business Awards Enterprise of the Year” award in 2015 [16] and in 2016 the QSR Media “Best Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative” and “Best Sustainability Initiative” awards. [17] Bianca Azzopardi, CEO of Zambrero was awarded the “Rising Star” award at the 2018 QSR Media awards. [18]
Nutrition
A 2016 study by the George Institute for Global Health, analysing 229 small meals and snacks from 25 fast food chains, found Zambrero's pork nachos to have the highest kilojoule count.[19]
