Casual dining chains across the U.S. have been closing stores, remodeling core units, and rethinking growth as labor, food, and occupancy costs stay elevated. In California, that pattern is especially visible at El Torito, the long-running Mexican chain that once had a national footprint but now operates only about two dozen restaurants, almost entirely in its home state.
El Torito’s footprint has narrowed sharply from its peak
El Torito, founded in California in 1954, has closed more than 150 restaurants since its late-1980s peak, when the chain operated 187 locations across 25 states, according to the reference reporting provided for this story. Today, the brand operates about two dozen California locations, according to Food On Demand’s March 5, 2026 report on the chain and El Torito’s current locations page.
The latest confirmed local setback involved the Irvine-area restaurant at 18512 MacArthur Boulevard, identified by Patch in Orange County’s restaurant closure roundup published January 5, 2026. That Patch report listed El Torito Cantina Autentica in Irvine as temporarily closed on December 31 because of rodent and cockroach issues, and reopened the same day after inspectors cleared it. The broader reference reporting tied Irvine to the chain’s recent downsizing, though El Torito has continued operating in the market through other units and promotions.
The contraction has been gradual rather than tied to a single bankruptcy-era collapse. Reference material indicates El Torito still had roughly 75 locations across California, Arizona, and Oregon as recently as 2005, but that number has steadily declined over the past two decades. Xperience Restaurant Group, the Cypress-based parent, still lists El Torito among its flagship brands as part of a 56-location restaurant portfolio across all concepts.
Southern California has seen confirmed closures, but not every affected city is public
In California, the most visible impact has been in Southern California, where reference reporting identified closures in Dana Point, Laguna Hills, Orange, Westminster, Tustin, and Irvine. Those city names matter because the company has not released a comprehensive public list of every shuttered California restaurant tied to the brand’s long decline. Where city-level closures are not publicly confirmed, they should not be assumed.
What is confirmed is that El Torito’s remaining base is heavily concentrated in California. Food On Demand reported in March 2026 that the chain operates about two dozen locations across the state, and a third-party location dataset published in July 2026 counted 23 verified California restaurants in 21 cities. El Torito’s own remodeling page also names a shorter list of refreshed California restaurants, including Cypress, Ontario, Monterey, Sherman Oaks, Irvine, Milpitas, Anaheim, Corona, Torrance, Pasadena, Long Beach, and others.
Outside California, the reference reporting says El Torito has exited Arizona and Oregon entirely. That means the chain’s retrenchment is no longer just a national story about fewer out-of-state stores; it is now primarily a California story about preserving a smaller in-state base. Xperience Restaurant Group has not publicly released a full state-by-state breakdown for El Torito alone on its corporate site.
Rising costs and shifting habits help explain the retreat
The reasons cited for El Torito’s shrinking footprint align with the broader pressures on full-service dining. The reference reporting attributes the chain’s contraction to rising labor costs, inflation, shifting consumer spending, and stronger competition from fast-casual operators, all of which have weighed on legacy casual dining brands in the past two years. Those pressures have affected chains nationally, not just California-based restaurant groups.
Xperience Restaurant Group’s public messaging suggests the company is focusing less on expansion and more on strengthening existing restaurants. Its corporate site says the company is “organically growing existing stores,” while El Torito’s own materials emphasize refreshed dining rooms and remodeled bars at a defined group of California locations rather than a new-store push. That is consistent with a strategy of concentrating capital on fewer units with stronger sales potential.
For customers, the practical takeaway is that El Torito remains active in California, but the chain is operating on a much smaller scale than in prior decades. Diners should expect the brand to be centered in established California markets, with remodeled locations playing a larger role in its future than rapid expansion. As of 2026, El Torito is still part of Xperience Restaurant Group’s active brand lineup, even as its footprint remains far below its historic peak.