Built in the Rio Grande Valley. Expanding Through Franchising.

Fork to Fit is a South Texas meal-prep company built around a practical idea: fresh, balanced food should be easy to pick up close to home. Co-founders Alex Velasco and Jose M. Guerra grew that idea from a gym refrigerator into ten operating locations across McAllen, Edinburg, Mission and Weslaco.

Ten locations in one regional market

All ten locations serve four neighboring cities in Hidalgo County, in the Rio Grande Valley. A central commissary supports the stores with prepared meals, while neighborhood locations bring grab-and-go food, shakes and coffee closer to customers. Our growth has come from opening multiple stores within the same community and building the operations to support them. See our current locations.

Why our South Texas roots matter

The Valley's health and economic challenges give that work a particular purpose. In its 2026 comparison of 100 U.S. metro areas, WalletHub reported the highest adult obesity share in the McAllen metro area, at 45%. The metro ranked second overall in the study, which also considers health consequences and food and fitness factors. Read WalletHub's 2026 study.

The U.S. Census Bureau's 2020–2024 estimates put median household income at $54,338 in Hidalgo County, compared with $80,734 nationally, both measured in 2024 dollars. We built our ten-store footprint in this region, where convenience, value and access matter in everyday food choices. Our community is the reason for our mission: make fresh, balanced meals easier to find and fit into a daily routine.

A local foundation for national growth

Fork to Fit has now franchised its model, with expansion beginning in San Antonio. Our Culebra location is coming soon. As of October 2026, our ambition is to grow to 2,500–3,500 Fork to Fit locations across the United States over the next seven to eight years (2033–2034), through franchise expansion. This goal builds on the store operations and central-kitchen experience developed in the Valley. The ten open locations describe our current footprint; national expansion is the next chapter. Explore franchising with Fork to Fit.

The Founding Story

Fork to Fit Kitchen was co-founded by Alex Velasco and Jose M. Guerra. The two met in 2016 when Alex was Jose's personal trainer. What began as a client relationship quickly evolved into a shared vision for something bigger.

Together, they decided to launch Fork to Fit inside the same gym where Alex trained his clients. The concept was simple but powerful: a single-door refrigerator stocked with freshly prepared, nutritious meals for gym members who wanted to fuel their bodies right. Jose's mother played a critical role in the early days, allowing meals to be prepared out of their family restaurant, The Patio on Guerra—giving the business the kitchen infrastructure it needed to grow.

Demand grew fast. Within months, they upgraded to a two-door merchandiser to keep up with orders from gym members and walk-ins. Many early customers worked in the medical field, which helped spread Fork to Fit meals rapidly through hospitals and clinics across the Valley.

To save money while preparing for their first brick-and-mortar location, Alex and Jose did much of the construction work themselves—including demoing and laying tile.

On June 14, 2018, Alex and Jose opened their first brick-and-mortar location—a milestone that transformed Fork to Fit from a gym-based operation into a true fast-food alternative.

What started in a corner of a gym has grown into ten locations across the Rio Grande Valley, with expansion through franchising underway. The mission remains the same: make healthy food as convenient and accessible as traditional fast food.

A Vision Rooted in Community

Alex Velasco grew up witnessing the health struggles that plagued his community. With a background in biology and a passion for fitness, he saw a fundamental gap in the food industry: too many people relied on fast, unhealthy options simply because they were convenient.

"I started Fork to Fit Kitchen because I believe healthy food should be convenient and accessible," Alex explains. "Coming from a background in fitness and nutrition, I saw how challenging it can be for busy people to find balanced meals that taste good. I wanted to create something better—a place where people could get real, nutritious food without sacrificing time or flavor."

Redefining Fast Food

America faces a fast-food crisis, where convenience often comes at the cost of health. With rising obesity and chronic health issues, the typical fast-food industry has prioritized quick, inexpensive, and calorie-dense meals. Fork to Fit Kitchen set out to prove there's another way.

The company's model is built on a simple but powerful premise: nutritious meals can be just as convenient and accessible as traditional fast food. All meals are made from scratch in Fork to Fit Kitchen's own facilities, prioritizing quality, transparency, and accessibility.

"We want people to know exactly what they're getting—a healthy, thoughtfully prepared meal that fits into their busy lives."

Teaching the Next Generation

Beyond serving meals, Fork to Fit Kitchen has a broader mission: to reshape how the next generation thinks about fast food. "A big goal of ours is to start teaching the youth in this community what fast food should look like—options that are wholesome and balanced, not the high-calorie dense meals that are often pushed in today's society," Alex shares.

Through educational resources on balanced nutrition, portion control, and the importance of macronutrients, Fork to Fit Kitchen empowers customers to make informed choices. From in-store information to online guides, the company is committed to helping people understand what fuels their bodies best.

From One Location to a Movement

What started as a single location has grown into ten stores across the Rio Grande Valley, with plans for national expansion. Fork to Fit has become more than a meal provider—it's part of a movement.

"We're here to be a part of this community, not just a business in it," Alex emphasizes. The company engages with local communities through partnerships with schools, sponsorships that promote fitness and wellness, and collaborations with organizations like UTRGV.

Building America's Health OS

The vision extends far beyond meal prep. Alex describes Fork to Fit Kitchen as the foundation for "America's Health OS"—a vertically integrated Food-Fitness-Health platform. The goal is to create an entire ecosystem that goes beyond meals, providing tools and education in health and fitness to empower individuals to take charge of their wellness.

By prioritizing quality, affordability, and accessibility, Fork to Fit Kitchen is setting a new standard in the fast-food industry—proving that the healthiest choice can also be the most convenient one.