Guzman y Gomez (GYG) co-CEO and founder Steven Marks bounded onto the Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) RESET stage yesterday with the energy of a man who lives and breathes his brand.
That energy—equal parts Bronx bravado and Bondi grit—carried through a keynote that was less corporate case study and more call to arms: fast food can be real food, ethical food, joyful food.
“I had this crazy idea to reintroduce fast food to Australia,” Marks told the crowd. “GYG is here to reinvent fast food and change the way the masses eat”.
What started with a single store in Newtown has grown to more than 245 locations across Australia, Singapore, Japan, and the US—with plans to get to the point of opening 40 more every year. Yet the origin story remains grounded in obsession: with detail, quality, and culture.
Marks’ relentless standards are not just culinary but deeply personal. “I do a lot of therapy. I’ve got a lot of issues…. but it’s even down to the ‘E’ in ‘Mexican Kitchen.’ That took me six months to get right,” he joked, before quickly adding, “Everything at GYG is ours. Nothing is copied. Because if you want to be the best, you can’t follow. You have to create.”
That creation extends far beyond food. The murals in each GYG location are commissioned from top Mexican artists, the music is curated by staff, and everything down to the merchandise tells a story.
Even the logo itself is a reflection of the level of consideration that has gone into the brand.
The “starburst” he explained is not in fact a starburst like so many think but instead the inside of a lime, the key ingredient in a number of mexican dishes. The lettering, writing in tape, inspired by the street art and makeshift signs of Mexican taquerias.
Still, it hasn’t all been guac and glory. Marks spoke candidly about the early days: losing $10,000 a week, giving away 200 free burritos a day in Newtown, and expanding to Bondi Junction and Kings Cross despite mounting losses.
“My mother called me and said, ‘I’m going to call this period of your life bankruptcy,’” he laughed. But those brutal beginnings forged a non-negotiable ethos. “We will never, ever compromise on quality”.
That ethos is why GYG walked away from early investors who didn’t share their values. “Unless you share values, you can’t bring value together,” Marks said.
Today, the company is known for rapid growth and high-performing teams—and a ruthless commitment to food integrity. From creating the world’s first preservative-free tortilla to custom-designing a corn chip that doesn’t break in guacamole (“That’s not a good experience”), and generating a different personality for every individual corn chip, Marks’ team continues to refine every bite.
Marks proudly described GYG’s move to free-range chicken as a $4 million values-led decision. “The board was thrilled we were finally making money,” he said. “Then I told them I was switching to free-range. They asked, ‘Does it taste better?’ I said, ‘Of course it tastes better, they’re happy’”.
In a world where competitors chase trends and cut costs, GYG has stayed the course. That’s not to say GYG is stuck in time. Tech is core to its operation—Marks recruited the man who helped build Australia’s internet to develop a bespoke kitchen system that enables drive-thru speed and fully customisable meals. “I’m very good at chaos,” Marks said. “But I want my restaurants focused only on making great food.”
He’s equally unorthodox in marketing. Rather than rely on traditional agencies, GYG has built an in-house team of 40, with a number of full-time content creators. “Marketing comes from the soul of the brand,” he said. And as he made very clear, no one understand that soul of GYG like this in-house team does.
Ultimately, Marks believes GYG isn’t just selling burritos—it’s leading a movement. “Fast food became bad food. But it doesn’t have to be,” he said. “This generation wants realness, transparency, and food that makes you feel good”.
Steven Marks closed his keynote with the same conviction he started with: fast food can be better—and GYG is proving it, one burrito at a time. His story is not just one of entrepreneurial grit, but of building a brand with uncompromising values, obsessive detail, and cultural authenticity at its core.
In Marks’ world, every tortilla, track, and taqueria mural is part of a bigger mission—to redefine what fast food looks, feels, and tastes like.
