TOP 100 MAGAZINE

Trushna Makadia
 

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Trushna Makadia, founder and CEO of Guac Mexi Grill, has built a fast-growing Canadian brand rooted in bold flavor, clean ingredients, and a deeply personal vision of what modern dining should be. With more than 16 years of experience in hospitality and business leadership, she has transformed Guac into a recognized name in premium fast-casual Tex-Mex, redefining expectations around quality, transparency, and guest experience.

 

Trushna’s journey into the restaurant industry was anything but conventional. After immigrating to Canada in 2002, she began her career as an accountant. When the 2008 economic crisis led to job loss, she pivoted into the food industry, becoming a franchisee for Extreme Pita. Over eight years, she developed a hands-on understanding of operations while also identifying a gap in the market, both in food quality and in how franchisees were treated. That experience became the catalyst for Guac Mexi Grill, built on two guiding principles: serving clean, flavorful food and fostering a franchisee-first culture.

 

Launched in 2016 in Brantford, Ontario, Guac Mexi Grill quickly gained traction by doing what few competitors were willing to do. Trushna insisted on real, in-house preparation at every level. Proteins are cooked fresh in front of customers, guacamole is made daily from whole avocados, and every sauce is developed from her own recipes, free of preservatives, artificial flavors, or added color. This commitment to clean-label food and transparency has become a defining element of the brand, setting it apart in a crowded fast-casual landscape.

 

Today, Guac Mexi Grill has grown to more than 55 locations across Canada, supported by a scalable franchise model designed to ensure consistency, strong unit economics, and long-term success for its partners. The company blends the speed of quick service with the elevated quality of modern dining, offering burritos, bowls, tacos, and signature sauces crafted from real ingredients prepared daily. Under Trushna’s leadership, the brand continues to expand its footprint across North America, with ambitions for global growth.

 

Beyond the food itself, Trushna’s leadership is defined by her emphasis on culture. She has built Guac with a people-first mindset, prioritizing franchisees as essential partners in the brand’s success. This philosophy, shaped by her own early experiences, has helped create a supportive and collaborative ecosystem that fuels sustainable growth.

 

Trushna’s accomplishments include scaling Guac from a single location into a national brand, developing a proven franchise system, and earning recognition such as the 2023 Canadian Vision Award for Best Gluten-Free Mexican Cuisine Food Service Business in the GTA. With an MBA and a relentless commitment to innovation, Trushna continues to push the boundaries of what fast-casual dining can be—cleaner, more transparent, and built to last.
 

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Trushna Makadia
Founder and CEO
Guac Mexi Grill
Website: https://guacmexigrill.ca
LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/trushna-makadia-3b1542a5/