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Smalls Sliders, the fast-growing cheeseburger slider brand, has signed a multi-unit development agreement to open four restaurants across the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas. Announced June 1, 2026, the deal is led by veteran entrepreneur Manny Saldivar alongside partners Carlos and Yazmin Hinojosa, marking the brand’s debut in the region.
The agreement continues an aggressive Texas push for a concept that has scaled from a single location in 2019 to more than 50 units, with hundreds more in development. For investors, it is another example of experienced multi-brand operators backing simple, high-throughput QSR formats.
It is a four-unit development agreement giving the Saldivar–Hinojosa group rights to build the brand across South Texas, with the first “Can” slated for Brownsville. The group brings more than 35 years of combined experience in finance, insurance, engineering and franchising — the operational depth that de-risks a new market entry, much like the multi-operator backing seen in other large multi-unit QSR deals.
“They do one thing, and they do it right,” said franchisee Manny Saldivar.
Tight menus and modular buildouts lower labor, training and real-estate complexity while speeding new-unit openings. Smalls Sliders’ shipping-container “Can” model is purpose-built for fast construction and site flexibility — a structural edge in a competitive global foodservice market.
Compact, single-product QSR concepts translate cleanly across borders: smaller footprints suit dense ASEAN and Gulf urban centers, and a focused menu simplifies supply chains and localization. A brand proving repeatable multi-unit economics across 30 US states builds exactly the track record master franchisees look for before committing to territory abroad. The modular format is especially relevant where prime retail space is scarce and speed-to-open drives returns.
Source: Franchising.com — Smalls Sliders Signs Multi-Unit Deal for Rio Grande Valley
