Image Courtesy of Pollo Tropical
Pollo Tropical Closes Last 3 Jacksonville Restaurants
February 24, 2025
Pollo Tropical has announced the abrupt closure of the last three of its restaurants in the Jacksonville, Florida, area, leaving the greater Northeast part of Florida without any locations of the popular Latin-Caribbean-inspired fast-food dining chain.
USA Today reports that the closures come 16 months after the chain’s parent company, Fiesta Restaurant Group of Dallas, was bought by Authentic Restaurant Brands (ARB), a holding company of Garnett Station Partners, LLC, a private investment firm based in New York.
The corporate-owned restaurants at 4863 Gate Parkway at the Markets at Town Center, 730 Skymarks Drive in River City Marketplace, and 10989 San Jose Blvd. in Mandarin had their doors closed, windows covered, and signage removed on Saturday.
“We appreciate our loyal guests. It has been a pleasure to serve you over the years,” read the signs on Pollo Tropical stationery.
Regarding the reason for the closures, a company spokesperson shared a statement with RetailWire: “Through the normal course of business, we continually evaluate our portfolio to ensure our restaurants have the resources to achieve their growth potential. After careful consideration, Pollo Tropical made the decision to close our three Jacksonville restaurants and focus on higher growth markets in Florida.”
Pollo Tropical, founded in 1988, serves variations of classic Cuban and Latin American food. According to the ARB website, the restaurant chain’s slow-roasted mojo pork, black beans and rice, and citrus-marinated chicken are among its signature dishes.
Pollo Tropical Is the Latest Company To Experience Closures
The closure of these three Pollo Tropical locations is indicative of a larger trend throughout the country. Experts predict that more brick-and-mortar stores than ever will close in 2025 and beyond.
According to Coresight, the number of shop closures in the United States in 2024 was the highest since 2020, the first year of the pandemic, with 7,325. Openings totaled 5,970, the largest number since 2012 when Coresight started recording opening and closing data.
Closings are expected to more than double year over year in 2025, reaching around 15,000. Openings are likely to stay around 5,800 this year.
Coresight claimed it has already tracked over 2,000 planned closures this year, including announcements from Party City, Big Lots, Kohl’s, and Macy’s. As of Jan. 17, major U.S. retailers reported 29.6% fewer openings and 334.3% more closures than a year before.
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