Don Pablo's
Company type | Subsidiary |
---|---|
Industry | Restaurants |
Founded | 1985 (Lubbock, Texas) |
Headquarters | San Antonio, Texas |
Number of locations | 34 (January 2014)[1] |
Area served | United States |
Products | Burritos, Tacos, Quesadillas, Fajitas, Enchiladas |
Owner | Food Management Partners |
Website | donpablos |
Don Pablo’s is a chain of Tex-Mex restaurants founded in Lubbock, Texas, in 1985.[2] The chain had 34 restaurants in 14 states when it was acquired by Food Management Partners of San Antonio, Texas in January 2014.[1] The menu features Tex-Mex items, made-from-scratch salsa, tortillas and sauces and a range of other Mexican specialties. At one time, this chain had as many as 120 locations throughout the United States and was the second largest full service Mexican restaurant chain within the United States during the late 1990s, second only to Chi-Chi's.[3]
History
This chain of Tex-Mex restaurants was started by Texas-based DF&R Restaurants Inc. in 1985.[4] After a period of rapid growth throughout the state of Texas, Don Pablo's began to build new locations in the Midwest.[5] By 1995, DF&R had 51 Don Pablo's locations.
This successful growth was noticed by Madison, Georgia-based Apple South, which bought DF&R in 1995.[6] At the time of the purchase, Apple South was one of the largest franchise holder in the Applebee's restaurant system with 170 Applebee's restaurants, along with operating restaurants from other franchise chains, with most of the properties located in the South and Midwest.[7] Two years later, Apple South decide to divest all of its 264 Applebee's franchises (in a franchise system that had 960 units), along with its other franchise properties, to focus its efforts on the 120-unit Don Pablo's and the other company-owned chains.[8][9] Shortly after the Applebee's restaurant divesture, Apple South changed its name to Avado Brands to emphasis the change of business.[10][11]
Unfortunately for Avado, things did not go as well as it had originally planned, and it was forced to file for bankruptcy in 2004.[12][13] At that time, it had 106 Don Pablo's. Avado was able to exit bankruptcy a year later with 96 Don Pablo's in operation.[14] After spending two years trying to revitalize the brand,[15] Avado was forced to file for bankruptcy for the second time in September 2007[16] and subsequently closed or sold about half of its 90 locations.[17][18]
In February 2008, 41 Don Pablo's locations were acquired by Rita Restaurant Corporation of Madison, Georgia, a fully owned subsidiary of DDJ Capital Management of Waltham, Massachusetts.[19][20] Rita tried to revitalize the brand by closing under-performing locations and selling franchises. A franchise was sold to a Florida-based operator who was able to re-open a Don Pablo's in Sarasota, Florida in 2012.[21][22][23] The Sarasota location remains the sole franchise.[22]
In 2014, the 34-unit chain was acquired by San Antonio-based Food Management Partners (FMP).[1] FMP is also a franchise operator of Buffalo Wild Wings and several Italian restaurant chains.[24] While FMP owned the company, locations were closed in February 2014 at Atlanta, Georgia;[25] in August 2014 at Hobart, Indiana;[26][27] in February 2015 at Canton, Ohio;[28][29] and in April 2015 at Flint, Michigan.[30]
References
- ^ a b c "Don Pablo's acquired by Food Management Partners: Multi-concept operator buys 34-unit Tex-Mex casual-dining chain". Nation's Restaurant News. January 31, 2014.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|subscription=
ignored (|url-access=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Don Pablo's Wins 'Best Mexican Restaurant' in Restaurants & Institutions' 'Choice in Chains' Awards". Business Wire (Press release). August 8, 2006.
- ^ Gibson, Richard (September 23, 1998). "Applebee's Hopes to Determine Direction For Ailing Rio Bravo Chain by Year End". Wall Street Journal (Eastern ed.). p. B11C.
[Lawrence M. Folk] resigned in August from Apple South Inc., where he had been president of its Don Pablo's Mexican restaurant division. Until recently, Apple South was the largest franchisee of Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar restaurants, but decided to shed its Applebee's outlets to concentrate on what it considered better growth opportunities, among them Don Pablo's. Don Pablo's now has 117 units, second only to closely held Family Restaurants Inc.' Chi-Chi's chain in the Mexican-style restaurant sector.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|subscription=
ignored (|url-access=
suggested) (help) Alternate Link via ProQuest. - ^ Ruggles, Ron (December 6, 1993). "DF&R gears to expand Don Pablo's concept. (DF&R Restaurants Inc., Don Pablo's Tex-Mex)". Nation's Restaurant News – via Highbeam Research.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|subscription=
ignored (|url-access=
suggested) (help) Alternate Link via ProQuest. - ^ "Pay-as-you-go Policy Helps Put Restaurant Operator In Top Tier For Growth". Chicago Tribune. February 21, 1994.
- ^ "Apple South Agrees To Buy D.F. & R. Restaurants". New York Times. August 16, 1995.
- ^ "Apple South, Inc. Signs Merger Agreement With DF&R Restaurants, Inc". Business Wire (Press release). August 15, 1995.
- ^ "Apple South to Sell 264 Restaurants". New York Times. December 24, 1997.
- ^ "Apple South says it will sell Applebee's restaurants". Associated Press. December 23, 1997.
- ^ "Apple South is renamed Avado". Rome News-Tribune. October 18, 1998.
- ^ "Avado Brands Inc". The Motley Fool. October 30, 1998.
- ^ "Avado Brands Receives Court Approval for 'First-Day' Motions". PR Newswire (Press release). February 6, 2004.
- ^ "After struggling for years, Avado Brands Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection". The Food Institute Report. February 9, 2004 – via Highbeam Research.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|subscription=
ignored (|url-access=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Avado Brands now out of bankruptcy". Atlanta Business Journal. May 19, 2005.
- ^ Bertagnoli, Lisa (December 1, 2006). "Avado Brands on the Fast Track: Rick Barbrick has taken Avado Brands from bankruptcy to growth mode in less than two years". Chain Leader. Archived from the original on 2009-06-11.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Avado Brands files for Ch. 11 bankruptcy". Nation's Restaurant News. September 6, 2007.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|subscription=
ignored (|url-access=
suggested) (help) - ^ Tong, Vinnee (February 6, 2008). "Service sector shrinks, raising recession fears: Don Pablo's restaurant chain, for another, has been busily shrinking". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. C1.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|subscription=
ignored (|url-access=
suggested) (help) - ^ Larson, Cindy (February 29, 2008). "Last taco served at Don Pablo's". Fort Wayne News Sentinel.
- ^ "Avado Brands divests Don Pablo's and Hops". Atlanta Business Journal. February 29, 2008.
- ^ Palank, Jacqueline (November 28, 2007). "Avado Brands sells several restaurants: Bankruptcy lender is primary buyer of Don Pablo's, Hops". Columbus Dispatch.
- ^ "Don Pablo's owner laments what could have been". Business Observer. May 23, 2012.
- ^ a b Griffin, Justine (June 10, 2013). "Don Pablo's trying to make a comeback". Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
- ^ Silva, Tricia Lynn (January 31, 2014). "Food Management Partners buys Lubbock-based Tex-Mex chain". San Antonio Business Journal.
- ^ "Don Pablo's Returns to Texas Roots: Texas-born restaurant chain known for its "Big Tex, Bold Mex" flavors and attitude returns to its Texas roots with acquisition by Food Management Partners". PRWeb (Press release). January 31, 2014.
- ^ "Troubled Center Lands Two Exciting New Tenants". Tomorrow's News Today Atlanta. February 28, 2014.
- ^ Pete, Joseph S. (September 11, 2014). "Gaucho's Brazilian Steakhouse to return". Times of Northwest Indiana.
- ^ Keagle, Lauri (September 11, 2014). "Don Pablo's". Times of Northwest Indiana.
- ^ Pritchard, Edd (April 26, 2015). "Business Roundup: Don Pablo's is gone, but brewhouse is coming". Canton Repository.
- ^ Pyrka, John (March 1, 2015). "Photos of Don Pablo's Restaurants". Facebook. Archived from the original on 2015-06-20.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Don Pablos in Flint Township permanently closed". WJRT-TV. April 10, 2015.