<div id="readability-page-1">close Guzman y Gomez Mexican Kitchen, an Australian-born Chipotle rival that once planned to open hundreds of U.S. locations, has abruptly closed all of its American restaurants after six years in the Chicago area.  &#34;All GYG USA restaurants permanently closed,&#34; a message on the company’s U.S. website says. &#34;Effective from May 22nd, GYG USA restaurants will cease trading. Thank you for your support.&#34;  The chain also announced the move on Instagram, thanking customers and employees in Chicagoland, where all eight of its U.S. restaurants were located.  &#34;After six years of burritos and big dreams in Chicagoland, we've made the difficult decision to close our US restaurants,&#34; the post read. &#34;To every guest who came through our doors – you chose us, and we never took that for granted.&#34;  CAVA BUCKS RESTAURANT INDUSTRY TREND WITH SUCCESSFUL NO-DISCOUNT STRATEGY  &#34;To our team – thank you. Your passion and your purpose built something special. If you're ever in Australia, Singapore or Japan, come find us – we'll have your favs waiting for you. Chicagoland, Thank you!&#34;  The shutdown marks a sharp reversal for Guzman y Gomez, which had recently reaffirmed its intent to expand in the U.S. market. The company (ASX: GYG) was founded in Australia by native New Yorkers Steven Marks and Robert Hazan and made its U.S. debut in 2020 with ambitions to build a much larger American footprint.  &#34;I have always been confident in the differentiation of our food and guest experience, however this was not translating to an improvement in sales momentum,&#34; Marks said in an Australian Securities Exchange announcement, Business News Australia reported.  &#34;Having spent the last three months in the US, I realized this was going to take significantly more time and capital than we had expected.  &#34;In assessing the trajectory of the current network, the board and I have concluded that the business is unlikely to deliver the performance that would justify continued investment of shareholder capital.&#34;  FMR FAST FOOD CEO PREDICTS MORE RESTAURANTS WILL CLOSE NATIONWIDE OVER HIGHER PRICES  The company chose the Chicago area as its entry point. At the time, its founders said they intended to open &#34;hundreds, if not thousands&#34; of Guzman y Gomez locations across the country.  Instead, the company is exiting the U.S. entirely, which has helped is stock price in Australia surge more than $3 Australian from $18.05 to $21.10 when the news dropped Friday morning.  &#34;We have a long runway ahead of us in Australia as we progress towards our longterm target of 1,000 restaurants and segment underlying EBITDA as a percentage of network sales of 10%,&#34; Marks said.  &#34;Concentrating our capital, focus and infrastructure behind this opportunity is the most effective way to compound shareholder value over the long term.&#34;  The retreat comes as U.S. restaurants face pressure from cautious consumers, higher food costs and declining traffic.  ITALIAN RESTAURANT CHAIN FILES FOR BANKRUPTCY, CITING INFLATION AND HIGHER INTEREST RATES  TheStreet reported that three in 10 Americans have cut back on retail spending and restaurant visits compared with a year earlier, citing S&amp;P Global data. Food-away-from-home prices rose 39.3% from January 2019 to January 2026, far faster than in the previous seven-year period, according to the same report.  Those headwinds have weighed on chains across the industry, especially those trying to scale in crowded categories.  Guzman y Gomez positioned itself as a cleaner take on fast-casual Mexican food, touting no added preservatives, no artificial flavors, no added colors and no &#34;unacceptable additives&#34; on its Australian website.  Its U.S. closure leaves Chipotle — which has roughly 4,000 restaurants — without one of its smaller fast-casual Mexican challengers in the American market.  GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE  RBC Capital Markets analyst Michael Toner told Reuters the exit could be positive for Guzman y Gomez’s broader business because its U.S. operations had limited prospects and were weighing on earnings.  &#34;The U.S. business had very low prospects of being successful, and the losses of the business were weighing down the earnings of the group so the sooner exit than anticipated is positive,&#34; Toner said.  Reuters contributed to this report.</div>

<p>Guzman y Gomez, an Australian fast-casual Mexican chain, has closed all eight of its U.S. restaurants in Chicagoland after six years, abandoning plans for expansion. The company cited insufficient sales momentum and the need for more time and capital as reasons for the closure. This decision has positively impacted its stock price in Australia. Analysts suggest that exiting the U.S. market may benefit Guzman y Gomez's overall business by alleviating losses from its underperforming U.S. operations.</p>

Fox News

Chipotle Mexican Grill

Chipotle rival Guzman y Gomez Mexican Kitchen closes all US restaurants