Sacramento-area chain Chando's Tacos closes, citing economic factors
A popular Mexican food restaurant with locations around Sacramento has abruptly shut its doors.
All Chando's Tacos locations were closed as of the lunch hour on Tuesday. Doors were locked at the West Sacramento location, and the North Sacramento location on Arden Way was dark.
Owner Lisandro "Chando" Madrigal cited economic factors among the reasons for the chain's closure.
"We are truly grateful for the support of our team members, vendors, and above all, our loyal customers who helped make this dream possible," Madrigal said in a Wednesday statement to CBS News Sacramento.
The chain's social media presence was scrubbed as of Tuesday, with Chando's website also redirecting to the Google front page -- a sign that the site had been taken offline.
The chain once had locations all around the Sacramento region. Madrigal even got some national exposure when he competed on an episode of the Food Network TV show "Chopped" in 2021.
Madrigal confirmed to CBS Sacramento that he will be holding a press conference on the matter at 9 a.m. on Monday at his restaurant chain's Arden location.
Chando's popularity saw it expand beyond California at one point, with a brick-and-mortar location opening in Decatur, Georgia, near Atlanta in 2023. The Georgia location closed in 2024, however.
Only three locations were still in operation as recently as this past weekend: the original restaurant along Arden Way in Sacramento, one near Fruitridge and Power Inn roads, and the West Sacramento location.