Mostaza: History, Key Facts and Reviews

1998-2011: a food court in Adrogué and the 2001 crisis

Mostaza was born in 1998 in a food court in Adrogué, in the southern suburbs of Buenos Aires. Its founders are Federico Pablo Aste and Christian Galdeano Alvarado, and Galdeano still runs the company (Gente de Salta). The 2001 economic crisis shaped the chain. While several international chains cut back in Argentina, Mostaza kept growing with local capital and a franchise model. By June 2011 it had 50 branches across the country (Wikipedia).

2016-2021: franchises, Uruguay and plant-based burgers

Mostaza grew into a national network in the 2010s and crossed its first borders. It had about 110 restaurants in 2016. The first Uruguayan branch opened in Montevideo in 2017, followed by Punta Carretas Shopping in August 2018, and the chain also operates in Paraguay and Bolivia (Wikipedia). Since 2018 it has sponsored the Argentine Football Association. In August 2021 it launched the Mega NotBurger range with the food-tech company NotCo, with a pea protein patty, across more than 150 stores (Vegconomist).

2023-2025: 200 branches and AutoMostaza drive-thrus

Mostaza reached 180 restaurants in December 2023 and set itself a pace of 25 to 30 openings a year. Its AutoMostaza drive-thru format spread to provincial cities, including Mendoza’s first, on Avenida Colón, opened in 2024 and described in our Mostaza Mendoza guide. On May 12, 2025, the chain opened its 200th branch, at René Favaloro 575 in Junín, Buenos Aires province, with room for 144 people and 60 new jobs. It then called itself the only fast-food chain present in every Argentine province (EnRetail).

2026: 217 restaurants and a franchise call for the Falklands

In July 2026 Mostaza had 217 restaurants, more than half of them franchised, and more than 10,000 employees (Mercado, Gente de Salta). That month it published a call for a franchisee in the Falkland Islands (Malvinas), a statement of intent rather than a planned opening. Its 2026 plan is about $40 million of investment and 30 new restaurants in Argentina (Derecha Diario). Franchisees pay an entry fee from $50,000, a 6% royalty and 3.5% of sales for advertising (Mostaza).

Key dates

• 1998: Federico Pablo Aste and Christian Galdeano Alvarado open the first Mostaza in Adrogué.
• 2011: the chain reaches 50 branches in Argentina.
• 2017: first restaurant in Uruguay, in Montevideo.
• 2021: launch of the Mega NotBurger with NotCo, in August.
• 2025: 200th branch opens in Junín on May 12.
• 2026: 217 restaurants and a call for a franchisee in the Falklands.