The family favorite restaurant, Chili’s, on Aliso Creek Road has just been closed on Sept. 12, and they will not be reopening. 

Ever since the pandemic, businesses have been struggling financially. After many years of serving the people of Aliso Viejo, the corporate office has decided to close our Chili’s location.

Visits began to decline to the point of financial struggle for the location, so in order to keep the Chili’s franchise thriving, they had to shut it down.

Many employees are upset about the closure of this restaurant, because many of them have been working at that Chili’s location for years.

Manager Alexander Magana says, “Every employee that wants to stay with Chili’s is being transferred to another location. Nobody is really happy about the decision, we all like each other, we are all used to working together, so it’s kind of sad.”

Citizens in Aliso have controversial opinions on the closure of our Chili’s. Some are sorrowful about the close and will miss eating their wide variety of meals at their unbeatable low prices. Others are happy about the closure and are looking forward to getting something new in Town Center.

No one is aware of what will take its place, but people have concerns about it. Many people hope for a new, high end restaurant, while others hope for another cheap alternative that is similar to Chili’s.

As the Homecoming season approaches, students are trying to figure out where they will eat dinner before the dance. Now that Chili’s is gone, that eliminates one restaurant that is close, location-wise, to Aliso Niguel, causing complications in some students’ plans. 

“It was really fun going there with all of my friends before Homecoming, so I will miss that. Also, my family and I would go there all of the time to eat, and we made a lot of memories in that restaurant”, says Suevda Simgamsetty (11). 

Hopefully, the skeleton of Aliso Viejo’s Chili’s restaurant does not stay empty for too long.