El Torito (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

for "the little bull") is an American chain that serves

Mexican food Mexican cuisine consists of the cooking cuisines and traditions of the modern country of Mexico. Its earliest roots lie in Mesoamerican cuisine. Its ingredients and methods begin with the first agricultural communities such as the Olmec and M ...

. El Torito operates 69 restaurants primarily in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

.About El Torito
El Torito is one of several Mexican cuisine restaurant chains operated by Xperience Restaurant Group. Founded in 1954, El Torito claims to be "a pioneer in the California full service Mexican casual dining restaurant segment."

History

El Torito was founded in 1954 by Larry J. Cano.OC Weekly.
El Torito Founder Is Still the Big Enchilada
." January 6, 2011. Cano served several tours in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

and in

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

, got a business degree and worked as a bartender. When the bar's owner died, the widow gave Cano the restaurant. Cano then began serving Mexican food at the bar and it became the first El Torito. Cano, at one point became financially strapped and moved into the restaurant. Within three years the restaurant became successful, and Cano opened additional locations. By 1976 he had 20 locations, and sold the business to

W. R. Grace and Company W. R. Grace and Co. is an American chemical business based in Columbia, Maryland. It produces specialty chemicals and specialty materials in two divisions: Grace Catalysts Technologies, which makes catalysts and related products and technologies ...

for about $20 million. They hired Cano as the President with a directive for rapid expansion. Grace sold its restaurants in a leveraged buyout in 1986. The resulting firm, Restaurant Enterprises Group (REG), filed for bankruptcy in 1993. REG was acquired out of bankruptcy in 1994 by Foodmaker, who renamed itself Family Restaurants, then Koo Koo Roo Enterprises, then Prandium. In 2000, Acapulco bought El Torito from Prandium. Acapulco renamed its parent company to Real Mex Restaurants in 2004 and moved the headquarters to Cypress, California. On October 3, 2011, Real Mex Restaurants filed for

Chapter 11 Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code (Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, wheth ...

bankruptcy and announced that it was putting itself up for sale, citing the poor economy as a reason. No plans were announced to close restaurants or layoff staff. It was acquired by a group of its noteholders in a bankruptcy auction in 2012. In 2018, FM Restaurants HoldCo, LLC acquired Real Mex Restaurants out of bankruptcy and begun operation under Xperience Restaurant Group led by former Vice President of Operations of the El Torito division, Randy Sharpe. In 2020, during the pandemic, the group begun renovations of 19 of their 31 locations in Southern California.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Torito Mexican restaurants Restaurants in Orange County, California Companies based in Orange County, California Cuisine of the Western United States Restaurant chains in the United States Restaurants established in 1954 1976 mergers and acquisitions 1986 mergers and acquisitions 2000 mergers and acquisitions 2012 mergers and acquisitions 1954 establishments in California Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2011 Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2018