On The Border is closing stores today: Full list of doomed locations includes company-owned restaurants

Casual Tex-Mex restaurant chain On The Border Mexican Grill Cantina is closing its company-owned locations by the end of the day today, a spokesperson confirmed. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in March 2025, and was acquired by Pappas Restaurants two months later. At the time of the acquisition, Dallas-based Pappas took on 60 U.S. locations and 20 franchised locations in South Korea, Franchise Times reported. Since then, the casual restaurant chain has continued to reduce its footprint. The brand’s official website currently lists 33 locations nationwide—17 of them are in Texas, the state where the chain was founded in 1982. “On The Border Mexican Grill Cantina has made the difficult decision to move forward with a significant transition in its restaurant operations, which will include the closing of company-owned locations by end of day Friday, June 12, 2026,” OTB Hospitality said in a statement emailed to Fast Company. The company added that it made the decision following a thorough review of its business. “We are currently evaluating the future of the On The Border brand and exploring a range of strategic options,” the statement continued. “Our immediate focus is on supporting our team members through this transition and ensuring an orderly and respectful closure.” ​ Which locations are closing? OTB did not single out specific locations in its statement. However, it said that independently operated franchise locations in South Dakota, Florida, Nevada, California, and South Korea will remain open. On The Border’s website lists five locations across those four states. The remaining locations that are presumably company owned are located in Arkansas, Kansas, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Texas, according to OTB’s store locator tool. News of the closures had been reported by a number of local media outlets over the last few days.