Guzman y Gomez store closings: Full list of doomed locations as Chipotle rival faces lawsuit over U.S. pullout

Fans of the Mexican casual food chain Guzman y Gomez were surprised to learn last week that the Australia-based competitor to Chipotle Mexican Grill had abruptly closed all of its U.S. locations. And the chain’s customers weren’t the only ones surprised by the news. Now, some of its former employees are suing the company over the unexpected closures. Here’s what you need to know. What’s happened? On May 21, Guzman y Gomez, a chain of Mexican fast-casual restaurants based in Australia, abruptly announced that it was closing all of its U.S. locations. According to the company’s Australian website, Guzman y Gomez was founded in Sydney in 2006 with the aim of bringing more authentic Mexican cuisine to Australia. Since then, the company has expanded into other countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including Singapore and Japan. It now has over 260 restaurants globally. Until recently, those restaurants included some in America. But as of May 22, the chain’s U.S. locations have now shuttered. A visit to the company’s U.S. website states that “Effective from May 22nd, GYG USA restaurants will cease trading.” “After six years of burritos and big dreams in Chicagoland, we’ve made the difficult decision to close our US restaurants,” the website reads. “To every guest who came through our doors – you chose us, and we never took that for granted. To our team – thank you. Your passion and your purpose built something special.” Fast Company has reached out to Guzman y Gomez for comment. Which Guzman y Gomez locations have closed? While the company’s website no longer lists the chain’s former U.S. locations, the Chicago Tribune reports that the first Guzman y Gomez store in the U.S. opened in Naperville, Illinois, in 2020. The chain then opened another seven stores in the state, where all its U.S. locations were based. Guzman y Gomez’s eight U.S. locations were in the following cities: Buffalo Grove, Illinois Chicago, Illinois Crystal Lake, Illinois Deerfie