Ghai Restaurants has acquired 44 Taco Bell restaurants in Houston, Texas, the company announced May 19, 2026. The purchase gives an established restaurant portfolio a new owner in an expanding franchise group.
The buyer confirmed the transaction in its company announcement. Jonathan Maze's May 21 report and interview with CEO Harsh Ghai identified the seller as Mas Restaurant Group's private-equity owner. It put Ghai at 81 Taco Bells and about 260 restaurants overall, including Burger King and Popeyes.
Most of Ghai's restaurants were in California. Harsh Ghai told Maze that high labor costs there had offset strong sales volumes, prompting interest in more profitable markets. Houston supplies the company's first Texas restaurants and more than doubles its Taco Bell holdings.
That combination changes geographic and brand concentration in opposite directions: Ghai enters a new state while increasing its commitment to a familiar franchise. The report discloses no purchase price or acquired-store margin comparison.
Ghai also cited Taco Bell's digital growth, kitchen technology and beverage investment. He saw a chance to pursue drinks through Taco Bell instead of building another beverage concept. These are his reasons for investing, with future operating results still to establish the return.
Houston was already part of Taco Bell's beverage plan#
A June 2025 Taco Bell announcement supplies context for that beverage interest. The brand introduced a nationwide six-drink Refrescas lineup and described a target of $5 billion in annual beverage sales by 2030.
The lineup combined three Agua Refrescas, two energy drinks and a frozen drink. The three Agua Refrescas became permanent menu additions after testing in Southern California. This was a menu expansion that could reach beyond a dedicated café format.
Taco Bell also planned 30 additional Live Más Cafés for 2025 within existing Taco Bell restaurants. It named Southern California, Dallas and Houston, with several openings involving Diversified Restaurant Group, the original test operator, alongside company-owned restaurants.
The café format featured more than 30 specialty beverages, including coffees and Churro Chillers, prepared by trained drink staff. Adding drinks to the national menu and introducing a larger specialty-drink format were distinct parts of the strategy.
The June plan explains an opportunity inside Taco Bell's system. It does not establish that Ghai's purchased restaurants have Live Más Café or that any conversion was included in the transaction.
Mas had previously expanded from Houston into Ohio#
The seller's history also extends beyond the acquired market. In a March 2022 podcast, Unbridled Capital's Rick Ormsby described advising Mas on its June 2021 purchase of Taco Bell restaurants in Columbus, Ohio.
Ormsby described Mas as a Houston operator seeking a second major market. His firm connected it with a longtime Columbus franchisee. He credited established relationships and strong support systems on both sides for the transaction's progress.
That account comes from the buyer's adviser, whose involvement matters when weighing his favorable assessment. It documents a separate geographic expansion, without supplying a current valuation or results for the Houston restaurants.
Mas's earlier Ohio purchase and Ghai's Houston acquisition are separate transactions. The May report concerns 44 operating restaurants; it does not establish a transfer of the entire Mas platform or all its development rights.
QSR Pro Staff
The QSR Pro editorial team covers the quick service restaurant industry with in-depth analysis, data-driven reporting, and operator-first perspective.
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