Margaritas is a Mexican restaurant chain in

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the Can ...

. Founded by John Pelletier in 1985 in Concord, NH. His first venture opened as Tio Juan's. With partner Stan Bagley, he opened the first Tio Juan's Mexican Restaurant in

Orono, ME Orono () is a town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. Located on the Penobscot and Stillwater rivers, it was first settled by American colonists in 1774. They named it in honor of Chief Joseph Orono, a sachem of the indigenous Penobscot n ...

. Shortly after, his brother Dave joined the venture. Since then, the company has grown to 18 corporate locations across New England, and new franchise stores opening in the Mid Atlantic, like locations in Tom's River, NJ and

Lansdale, PA Lansdale is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is a densely-populated commuter town, with many residents traveling daily to Philadelphia using SEPTA Regional Rail's Lansdale/Doylestown Line. In 1900, 2,754 people live ...

. The company is the most prominent TexMex casual dining experience in New England. Their use of art and furniture directly from central Mexico is one key feature that makes them stand out from other restaurants. Following this theme, the restaurant blends traditional Mexican cuisine with standard

Tex-Mex Tex-Mex cuisine (from the words ''Texan'' and ''Mexican'') is an American cuisine that derives from the culinary creations of the ''Tejano'' people of Texas. It has spread from border states such as Texas and others in the Southwestern United ...

fare for a New England palate. The restaurant prides itself on remaining a true scratch kitchen even while evolving into a corporation as well as remaining a fast, casual, family-oriented place to eat.

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* Regional restaurant chains in the United States Mexican restaurants in the United States Companies based in New Hampshire Companies based in Rockingham County, New Hampshire Companies based in Portsmouth, New Hampshire {{US-restaurant-stub