BBQ Restaurant Chain 'Abruptly' Closes All But One Location

A popular BBQ chain only has one remaining location after shutting down three outposts "abruptly" on Tuesday.

The restaurant business can be fickle, and while there were still reportedly nearly 750,000 in operation around the country as of 2023 and thousands more have opened since then, a significant number of places have also closed during that time. 

Armadillo Willy's, which debuted in 1983 and became a chain throughout the Bay Area, closed three of its locations on Tuesday night, according to the Mercury News.

The restaurants were in Santa Clara, San Jose and Sunnyvale, which means the San Mateo location is the only one still in operation. Armadillo Willy's previously closed up shop in Dublin and Los Altos earlier this year.

Vice president and COO Matt Granville confirmed the shuttering of the three restaurants in an email to the Mercury News.

The original Armadillo Willy's was located in Cupertino. The brainchild of founder John Berwald and his team, the restaurant was inspired by various Texas BBQ haunts Berwald and company visited during a trip to the Lone Star State.

"After more than 40 years we have never given up trying to equal the standards of those great Texas legends. We have heard from many of our guests , including Texans, that we have done a damn good job of that!" says the chain's official website.

Known for its BBQ by the pound and portion catering menu, including its 18-hour smoked brisket, Armadillo Willy's serves classic Texas-style fare in-house, including ribs, chicken, BBQ sandwiches and sausage with all the fixings available on the side.