A popular restaurant in the Tex-Mex chain Chachos has closed its doors at 6006 Westheimer Rd. in Houston, Texas, leaving former customers lamenting the loss. On social media, many customers shared their memories of the beloved restaurant.
According to reports from Chron, Chachos was founded in 1998 by John Burke in San Antonio. Offering 24-hour service, the restaurant quickly expanded to other locations, becoming a popular chain, and this Houston store was quite popular with locals.
There is currently no official reason why the popular location shut down, but earlier reports indicate that the chain’s owner allegedly “siphoned off” millions of dollars from funds intended to expand the franchise and used them for real estate investments, leading to fraud allegations.
It is currently unclear whether this is the only Chachos location that has closed, as all six stores, including the one reported to have shut down, are still listed on the official website. When reporting on the story, the media outlet attempted to call the other two stores in Houston, but they did not answer.
Houston Residents Lament Chachos’ Closure
On Reddit’s r/houston, many people who visited Chachos over the years were sad to see it go. “Such an institution lost! So many memories of that place growing up,” one user said. Another claimed, “I used to love that place. The queso was good, and the salsas were wonderful.”
Multiple users also shared lighthearted stories about the restaurant. As one user put it, Chachos was “a halfway house you stumble to at 3 am when someone with pupils like saucers grabs your face and says ‘King Kong Nachos’ directly into your soul,” which many people appreciated. Another added, “The combo plate ruled. The mango pico was solid. It’s sad to see it go.”
Others said that “Chacho’s was the place to be at 4-5 am after leaving the raves in the late 90s. We had some great times there back in the day.” Another Houston local shared a story from the restaurant, saying, “Remember being there after a night out at 4 am, and the place was absolutely packed. My buddy passed out at the table and face-planted on the floor, and the whole crowd cheered.”
It is still unknown whether other Chachos locations will remain open, but given how customers reacted to this closure, the restaurant will likely be missed.
