Your Tex-Mex options in Delaware just became fewer. Don Pablo’s, famous for its onsite handmade flour tortillas and piping hot Mexican food, has closed its only Delaware location, according to a woman answering the phone.
This chain of Tex-Mex restaurants was started by Texas-based DF&R Restaurants Inc. in 1985. After a period of rapid growth throughout the state of Texas, Don Pablo’s began to build new locations in the Midwest. By 1995, DF&R had 51 Don Pablo’s locations.
At one time in their history over 100 Don Pablo’s locations were open across the country. After several acquisitions, sell-offs and a couple of bankruptcies the brand was down to 8 locations. In April the Grand Prairie, Texas location quietly closed its doors and in July 2018, the Norwood, Ohio location closed its doors, leaving 6 units open in the states of Delaware, New Jersey, Maryland, and Texas.
When the Newark Don Pablo’s closed its doors for the final time last night at 10:00 that number dwindled to 5.
The closing, also confirm by a manager at a different location out of state, reportedly came as a shock to customers and employees alike.
Several people have taken to social media to say that the store closed without warning and employees were not informed of the closing. That has not been confirmed.