Del Taco has abruptly closed all 11 of its restaurants in Georgia, marking the third time the fast-food chain has exited the state. The sudden shutdowns occurred on Tuesday without prior warning, affecting outlets in Snellville, Lawrenceville, Smyrna, Douglasville, Calhoun, Dalton, Centerville, Fort Oglethorpe, Rome and Columbus.
Customers arriving at former locations found storefronts shuttered, with typed notices taped to windows announcing the closures, according to WTVM. Google now lists the sites as permanently closed, and Georgia has been removed from Del Taco's online store locator. The nearest open restaurants for Georgia residents are now in Florida, Myrtle Beach or Huntsville, Alabama, depending on location.
A spokesperson for Del Taco said in a statement: "We were recently informed that the franchisee operating our Atlanta, Columbus and Macon, Georgia locations has closed all restaurants in these markets. This closure occurred without prior notice to Del Taco. The franchisee is currently undergoing bankruptcy proceedings, and we are actively exploring options to reopen these locations as soon as possible."
This exit follows a turbulent period for the chain. After being acquired by Jack in the Box for $585 million in 2022, Del Taco experienced mounting financial difficulties, including declining system-wide sales for five consecutive quarters by mid-2025 and multiple franchisee bankruptcies. One of the hardest-hit operators, Matador Restaurant Group, which ran 22 locations across Georgia and Alabama, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in July.
In December 2025, Del Taco was sold again, this time to Yadav Enterprises for approximately $119 million. The chain, founded in 1964 and known for items such as tacos, burritos, fries and the Double Del cheeseburger, still operates nearly 600 restaurants across 19 states, according to a news release earlier this month, though it is unclear if that figure accounts for the Georgia closures.
