ORLANDO, Fla. – Back in April, Winter Park based Tijuana Flats filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and closed multiple locations
Now, it is set to reopen its first restaurant that shuttered its doors during the restructuring of the fast-casual chain.
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The location is near Orlando’s Mall at Millenia and is located at 4693 Gardens Park Blvd.
It will have a grand re-opening ceremony on Tuesday. A spokesperson for Tijuana Flats said it chose this restaurant to reopen because of the high-profile location.
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“This store was closed based on the original leasing agreement. A new agreement with the landlord was established allowing for a feasible path to reopening,” a spokesperson for Tijuana Flats said in a prepared statement.
Court records filed in May revealed this Orlando restaurant owned over $50,000 in rent.
Meanwhile, most of the changes for the restaurant’s reopening were done back of house by upgrading equipment, the spokesperson said. This was done to improve food quality. The Tex-Mex restaurant chain serves tacos, burritos, quesadillas and flautas.
“We believe the product improvements we have made reestablish Tijuana Flats as having among the most flavorful, authentic Mexican food in fast casual,” the statement read in part.
This reopening is a part of the brand’s bounce-back plan after the bankruptcy filing. It is also focusing on expanding its menu and improving the dining experiences online and in-store.
“Our main goals for 2025 center around continuing to elevate the guest experience and driving menu innovation,” the statement continued.
To add on, there aren’t any plans currently to reopen anymore closed restaurants, but it is opening three franchised locations in Kentucky and Tennessee. There are currently roughly 90 locations across Florida, North Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee, according to the brand’s website.
UCF alumni Brian Wheeler opened the first Tijuana Flats in 1995, with help from his dad – he stayed with the brand until he sold it in 2015.
Wheeler recently opened a new restaurant with his son, Jake Wheeler. Big Taco opened in November 2023 in Casselberry.
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