Dillas Cut Service Times 30 Seconds by Shrinking Its Menu

A stalled drive-thru in Forney, Texas, triggered an operational overhaul that cut Dillas Quesadillas' service times by 20 to 30 seconds and improved prime costs (food plus labor as a share of sales) by two to four percentage points, depending on the unit. The 11-unit chain is now targeting 50 locations by 2028.

Co-founder and CEO Kyle Gordon saw the problem firsthand after the Forney restaurant opened in 2023. "I was outside and saw the drive-thru stalling out," he told FastCasual. "I went to the back of the house to see what was going on and was shocked by what I found." Multiple systems were failing at once while a flustered shift leader managed unfinished prep work and a new team executed a menu of roughly 10 signature quesadillas.

The math made the fix urgent. "More than half of our sales come through the drive-thru, so those seconds matter," Gordon said.

What did the overhaul change?

Dillas made what Gordon called "the strategic decision to lean hard into QSR+ and less into fast casual" — trading the fast-casual positioning for quicker-service economics. The company paused expansion while it rebuilt the model.

The changes were structural:

• The menu shrank from about 10 signature quesadillas to six Primo Quesadilla Meals, each served with fries and a drink. A secret menu and add-ons remain for loyal "Dillas Diehards."
• PreciTaste kitchen-prep management technology was deployed in company-owned restaurants, replacing manual prep management.
• Weekly AI-generated operational reports were added.
• Drive-thrus became mandatory for new locations.
• Franchise infrastructure — training, site selection, vendor partnerships — was strengthened.

"Together, these have driven down speed of service by 20 to 30 seconds and improved our accuracy and overall satisfaction," Gordon said. The simpler menu also shortens training, promotes consistent execution and eases franchisees' transitions, he added.

Who runs the growing system?

The company promoted Michael Mabry from head of franchise development to chief operating officer earlier this month. Mabry brings more than 30 years of industry experience, including stints as president and COO of MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes, chief development officer at Fuzzy's Taco Shop and president of Famous Toastery. He has been on the Dillas team for a year.

"He has been a mentor for many years and knows Dillas like the back of his hand," Gordon said. "He's been on the team for a year running development, so this was a logical step as we began to see growth on the horizon."

Mabry now oversees day-to-day operations and franchise support. That frees co-founder and president Maggie Gordon for franchise success work and Kyle Gordon for strategy and franchise development. "I dedicate a lot of my week to working with them on growing their business and analyzing their operations," the CEO said.

Where will the 50 units go?

Dillas operates 11 restaurants: six company-owned in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and five franchised units in East Texas and Louisiana run by Primeaux Restaurant Group. "We currently have multiple franchise groups in the pipeline, all multi-unit deals, including a three-restaurant agreement in Dallas," Gordon said.

The chain will deepen Texas and Louisiana first, then enter Oklahoma, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia and Tennessee. It favors community-oriented markets, including college towns such as Ruston, Louisiana, and Nacogdoches, Texas. At maturity, the company expects 20% to 30% of units to be company-owned, with franchisees holding the rest.

Real estate follows a second-generation strategy: spaces where the location works but the prior concept didn't. Freestanding prototypes run 1,500 to 2,500 square feet; successful end-cap locations with drive-thrus span 2,000 to 3,000. A recent opening at Brookshire Grocery Arena — an authorized satellite of an existing Primeaux location — is testing nontraditional sites. "It's not a top priority, but now that we have one, we know what to look for as new opportunities emerge," Gordon said.

The CEO insists execution outranks unit count as the chain builds toward a stronger regional brand and, eventually, national reach. "It's about quality and earning the right to grow through great operations, craveable Primo Quesadilla Meals, and genuine hospitality," he said. The streamlined model, with its faster training and measurable prime-cost gains, is the foundation Dillas will carry into its 2028 target.