ORLANDO, Fla. – Customers and employees were left searching for answers Monday after multiple Gringos Locos restaurants across Central Florida appeared to close without warning.
The closures include the longtime downtown Orlando location, which has served customers for more than a decade, as well as restaurants in the Milk District, SoDo and at the University of Central Florida main campus.
Several customers told News 6 they were surprised to learn the restaurants had shut their doors.
“I come like every other week,” customer Zoe Wheatcroft said. “I come by myself. I come with coworkers. It’s a great spot. Tacos, burritos, whatever.”
When asked about the closure, Wheatcroft said, “It sucks. I really love their tacos.”
Another customer, Jacob Duncan, said he frequently visited the downtown location while attending college.
“I used to eat double tacos all the time,” Duncan said. “It’s sad.”
An employee at a restaurant located two doors down from the downtown Gringos Locos told News 6 she was unloading her car Sunday night to prepare for work Monday morning when she saw managers from Gringos Locos come outside crying after learning about the closure. She said the managers appeared to have no warning that the restaurant would be shutting down.
By late Monday morning, the downtown restaurant remained locked despite signage indicating it opens daily at 11 a.m. The lights and menu screens inside were off, and no employees were seen inside.
News 6 also found the Gringos Locos locations in the Milk District, SoDo and on UCF’s main campus closed.
Despite the apparent closures, the company’s website remained online Monday afternoon and still listed employment opportunities, including a posting for the UCF location.
News 6 called the corporate phone number listed on the company’s website but was unable to reach anyone. An email sent to the company Sunday morning had not received a response as of Monday afternoon.
News 6 will continue working to learn why the restaurants closed and what led to the apparent shutdowns affecting customers and employees across Central Florida.