Positioned for Continued Growth

As of today, the company known as Desert de Oro Foods, Inc. (DDO) and affiliated entities operate a total of 117 quick serve restaurants (QSRs), including 77 Taco Bell units, six of which are Long John Silver’s co-brands, (TLs), two Pizza Hut co-brands, (TPXs), one KFC co-brand, (KT), plus 40 Pizza Hut units.  As measured by store count, DDO is the largest Taco Bell franchisee in Arizona and among the 15 largest franchises in the Taco Bell system. 

Ninety-eight restaurants are located in the State of Arizona, 14 are located in the State of Utah and five units are located in California.  DDO operates 70 restaurants in the Phoenix metropolitan area and is the largest franchisee in the DMA, demographic market area.  The remaining restaurants are located in small towns and rural areas.  The company administrative offices, or Restaurant Support Center, (RSC), is located in the northwest Arizona community of Kingman. 

DDO’s experienced management team is led by the brother and sister team of Mark Peterson and Krystal Burge. They have been Taco Bell franchisees in Arizona since 1982, starting with one store in Kingman, Arizona.  Their Director of Operations, Kim Cartrette, has been with DDO for ten years and has been working in the Taco Bell system for 20 years.  In addition, DDO has a well developed above-store leadership team which includes 19 Area Coaches, three Concept Directors and a Market Manager.  The company also maintains significant dedicated in-house training and technical resources, including three full time trainers in the Training Dept., two full time members in the IT Dept., and a seven-member Maintenance Dept.  These resources enable the Company to effectively incorporate acquisitions and develop new locations.

DDO prides itself on having developed a culture of trust, loyalty and excellence. Additionally, the company places a strong emphasis on leadership development, managerial proficiency and operational excellence, which is consistently reflected in the recognition that DDO’s award-winning management team receives.  This combination of company culture and leadership focus has given DDO a significant advantage in operating restaurants and achieving sales growth even in the midst of an economic downturn.  Continued growth is the company goal.