Local Tex-Mex Cafe, Johnny Tamales has closed their doors for good. In a staff meeting this morning, employees were informed that the store was closed and would not be reopening.
We called the restaurant and spoke to a Michael Burks. He told us that it was just a matter of not making enough money to keep the doors open. “For as long as we’ve been opened there just hasn’t been a profit and owners cannot continue to lose money, so the decision was made to close”, Burks said.
General Manager Jeff Kristianson said that it was a decision made at the corporate office. “We are all totally shocked here in Texarkana. We have such a great team in place now, and were really hoping to make it work here in Texarkana, Arkansas”. Kristianson went on to say, “I truly hate it, and it could not have come at a worse time for our employees with Christmas coming, these people are more than employees they really are friends”. Kristianson is in Texarkana from the home restaurant in Pasadena, Texas. He has been here for the last 4 months trying to get the location profitable and was really excited for the new year. He was just as shocked at the news as the other employees of the restaurant.
This is the second restaurant to close in the area near the Texarkana Arkansas Convention Center in the last month. Copeland’s of Texarkana closed a couple of weeks ago, rumor has it the owner’s of the former Copeland’s franchise will be reopening their building as another restaurant in the future.
We truly hate it that Johnny Tamales has shut down the business. The food was good, the service was good and we hate to see any business close their doors, but our hearts are truly heavy for the employees left without an income here just before Christmas.
