El Torito at Dana Point Harbor on December 6, 2023 (Photo by Brock Keeling/SCNG)
El Torito restaurant in the Dana Point Harbor is closing for good after 39 years in business. The last day will be Wednesday, Jan. 3, restaurant employees said.
“There were no offers to renew the lease because the entire port is being redeveloped,” said Randy Sharp, president and CEO of Experience Restaurant Group, which owns the Mexican casual dining chain. explained. “So it was very simple.”
Staff at the decades-old restaurant will be able to work at other restaurants in the Experience Restaurant Group. In addition to El Torito, its portfolio includes Chevrolet Fresh Mex, Sol Mexican Cocina, Acapulco and Las Brisas. “We gave advance notice to our employees and offered them employment at other fine dining restaurants in the general area if they were interested,” he said.
Related item: Here’s what the $450 million Dana Point Port renovation will look like
This is Experience Restaurant Group’s second restaurant in five years of operation. The group closed its Orange store in El Torito in June. “We’ve opened nine new restaurants in the last 18 months, so we’re definitely focused on the growth potential there,” Sharp said when asked about the possibility of reopening in the Port’s next iteration. Stated. “It’s a little bittersweet, but more than that, the port needs to be redeveloped. I wish Burnham Ward all the success with his Properties’ new projects around the world.”
Opened in April 1985, El Torito in Dana Point Harbor was a staple at the bustling waterfront, popular for its weekly Taco Tuesday happy hour and views overlooking the harbor’s boat ramp and pier.
Related item: El Torito in Orange closes after 33 years in business
The entire Dana Point Port is currently undergoing a $450 million ongoing renovation that will add new hotels, parking, restaurants, architecture, and landscaping to the 52-year-old port.
Burnham Ward Properties, part of the real estate development group leading the Dana Point Harbor commercial redevelopment, commented on what dining options, if any, would replace the nearly 40-year-old El Torito. I couldn’t.