By Ed Avis
The state of the restaurant industry is rough. That fact came into clear focus when we were researching this year’s Mexican Multi-Unit Report, our 13th. The primary indicator of the situation is that 26 of the top 50 chains closed more locations in the past year than they opened.
Every year there is churn among Mexican multi-units — some are up and some are down, and nearly all of the largest open and close units regularly. It’s totally normal. But this year is special — the fact that more than half of the list ended the year with fewer units than they started is unprecedented.
In comparison, 14 of the top 50 ended 2024 with fewer units than they had in 2023. And 12 of the top 50 ended 2023 with fewer units than they had in 2022.
Click here to read the complete 2026 el Restaurante Mexican Multi-Unit Report