Gordo’s, a Mexican restaurant in Aggieville, permanently closed Saturday because of “many factors,” including the “cost of operating,” according to a post on its Facebook page.
Dennis Cook, director of the Aggieville Business Association, said Gordo’s closing had nothing to do with lack of business.
“It’s a family restaurant and they’ve got a number of other restaurants in town,” Cook said. “Even though this was a great one [restaurant] for them they just didn’t have anybody in the family to run it, so they were willing to let this one go. They’ve been pretty active for quite a while and I never heard any complaints about the ratio between business and their lease.”
Maggie Banhart, junior in biochemistry and Spanish, said she frequented Gordo’s and was surprised to hear of its closing.
“It was a really welcoming and open space,” Banhart said. “I loved going out on the patio. They were one of the only restaurants in Aggieville, I think, that had an upper patio. … It was nice to get to watch the street life down below.”
Banhart said she especially loved Gordo’s because the staff were always sociable and kind.
“They were always super sweet and would always let me practice my Spanish with them,” Banhart said. “They were always really interested in getting to know me, like we would have actual conversations.”
Abbie Ainsworth, a previous employee at Gordo’s, said the staff used their close bond to foster the welcoming environment.
“As co-workers, we all really enjoyed being around each other,” Ainsworth, senior in communications, said. “Going to work and knowing you’re going to be hanging out with your friends puts you in a pretty good mood. … It was just a fun work environment.”
Ainsworth said she had expected Gordo’s to close long before it did.
“Before I left to go home for the summer, I was surprised we [Gordo’s] were still open,” Ainsworth said. “We had issues keeping staff just because of not making enough money. … I think we all kind of knew that the restaurant wasn’t making enough money to keep it going for much longer.”
Cook said he has received an influx of inquiries from potential new tenants hoping to take over Gordo’s lease.
“We’ve taken more phone calls on that piece of real estate than I’ve ever heard on anything,” Cook said. “People are calling or sending us messages wanting to know about that space and wanting contact with the property manager. … I think it’ll be turned around and back open by somebody in a relatively short amount of time.”
