Bert Mueller landed in Bengaluru at 22 and turned a single burrito joint into California Burrito’s 100-plus-store Mexican fast-casual empire across India.

Expect candid takes on staffing, frugality-over-VC cash, mall vs. airport launches, and why a 2030 IPO dream keeps him obsessing over beans, bowls, and burrito-worthy value.

Chapters

• 0:00 – Trailer & Chain Reactions
• 2:50 – Indian Consumer Fit
• 4:00 – Operations & Freshness
• 6:30 – Organization & Leadership
• 8:30 – Tech, Delivery & App Strategy
• 10:30 – Long-Term Vision
• 12:00 – Early Fundraising Journey
• 14:30 – Focus Over Distraction
• 16:30 – Personal Ties to Mexico
• 18:30 – Delivery & Platform Commissions
• 20:30 – ONDC & Market Disruption
• 22:30 – Indian Consumers & Value Expectations
• 24:30 – Growth Strategy: Pune, Not Mumbai
• 27:00 – Going Global? Not Yet
• 28:30 – Lessons From Doing Business in India
• 30:00 – Straight Talk & Core Values
• 32:00 – Co-Founders & Early Struggles
• 34:30 – Staying Scrappy, Not VC-Backed
• 36:00 – Choosing Cities & Formats
• 38:30 – International Expansion & Franchising
• 40:30 – Adapting to Indian Business Culture
• 43:00 – First Betrayal & Lessons on Trust
• 44:30 – Resilience & Delusional Optimism
• 46:00 – Marketing Learnings Post-COVID
• 47:30 – Indian Holidays & Food Occasions
• 49:00 – Racism, Etiquette & Cultural Fit
• 51:00 – Corruption, Compliance & “Let India Be India”
• 53:00 – Advice to His 22-Year-Old Self

Connect

• Bert Mueller
• Vihaan Khanna
• Subah Wadhwani

Email: [email protected]

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