The Mexican-inspired chain Taco John's has recently shuttered its Michigan restaurants including the locations in Wyoming, Hudsonville, Caledonia, Monroe, and Cadillac. This move comes despite the brand's significant expansion plan that kickstarted in West Michigan in February 2023. As per WZZM13, a Taco John's company spokesperson has confirmed the closures and hinted at a future rebranding effort, stating, "We have made the difficult decision to close our Taco John’s restaurants. We appreciate our employees’ commitment and hard work as well as the community’s patronage as we have endeavored to make this concept a success. In regard to future plans, we intend to reopen as a different concept and look forward to once again serving the community in days to come."
Taco John's expansion into Michigan was originally part of a larger growth initiative led by the Meritage Hospitality Group (TMHG), which operates multiple restaurant franchises across 16 states. Despite the intent to launch nearly 200 new locations in the Midwest, as noted by a WGRD report. Michigan locations have been swiftly removed from the Taco John's website as the company has decided to temporarily close and seemingly re-strategize. Notably, the Meritage Hospitality Group has yet to make an official statement concerning the future of these rebranding efforts.
In line with closures in Michigan, Taco John's has also closed locations in southwest Ohio. According to a publication by Dayton Daily News, establishments at Wilmington Pike in Kettering and Highland Point Drive in West Chester Twp. have shut their doors, with signs indicating rebranding as a possible reason. This follows a pattern of closures that have been observed over the past couple of years across multiple states including Illinois, Minnesota, and Washington.
Despite the closure of certain locations, Taco John's, a brand founded in 1968 in Wyoming, still operates over 350 outlets across 23 states. Brand representatives like area director Brandon Parnell had previously shared the company's growth-cap issues with the Wendy’s brand, leading to the Taco John's expansion. Parnell told Dayton Daily News, “We have been a Wendy’s franchisee for the past several years, and we’re one of the biggest Wendy’s franchises, nationwide. We hit our cap on growth as far as the Wendy’s brand is concerned, so in order to grow and build more restaurants, and to expand the portfolio, we started looking at other brands that we could dive deep into and we really felt like Taco John’s has a huge potential.” The company also touts the claim of originating the popular "Taco Tuesday" concept.
