2 days ago
Filberto's Mexican Restaurant Chain Abruptly Closes 8 Arizona Locations
Many Arizonans are very familiar with Filiberto's Mexican Restaurants.
Whether it's the burritos or the 24/7 drive-thrus, the chain is a well-known staple in the state.
Filiberto's restaurants have become a much-replicated concept.
Now, eight Filiberto's in Arizona have shut their doors all at once.
The spate of closings surprised and baffled customers.
"Why are a bunch of locations closed with just a sign on the door that says closed. No explanation or nothing. Just a handwritten know what's up?" wrote one befuddled person on Reddit.
The Filiberto's restaurants are owned by John Schwimmer. His LinkedIn page describes him as the owner and operator of "eight Filberto's Mexican Food Restaurants in the Valley" through Compadres Group.
According to the Phoenix New Times, the eight locations "closed with no explanation."
Cesar Tenorio, described by the New Times as "a member of the family that founded Filiberto's in 1993," told the publication that Schwimmer shut down the restaurants after 'unforeseen medical issues.' Tenorio's family hopes to take them over, according to the New Times.
The news site listed the shuttered locations as being in Phoenix, Avondale, Apache Junction, Chandler, Peoria, and Scottsdale.
On Reddit, some people said they had stopped going to the restaurants because of the costs.
The chain celebrated 30 years in Arizona in 2023. Axios labeled Filiberto's as an Arizona institution that started out in San Diego.
Filiberto's restaurants are "Arizona's most ubiquitous and endlessly copied restaurant chain," Axios wrote. In 2018, there were 79 locations in Arizona, from Yuma to Flagstaff, the magazine Mexican Restaurant Chain Abruptly Closes 8 Arizona Locations first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 11, 2025
