News came about mid-day yesterday via Facebook that the Metzger Family Restaurant group had decided to close Gio Taco. Located off at 360 E. Congress St., the taco joint had opened just 15 months ago in the heart of downtown.
“Our take on tacos, inspired by the dynamic culinary traditions of the Americas, didn’t earn the level of support that it needed for the restaurant to survive on the corner of Congress and Fourth,” Metzger said in a statement.
According to the statement from Metzger and MFR, the business had hoped to remain open until the end of the month, but the closing is effective immediately, despite trying to reach an agreement with their landlord.
“We aren’t too proud to admit that some concepts simply don’t work,” the statement goes on to say.
If you have gift certificates for Gio Taco, those will be honored at other MFR restaurants like Jackson Tavern and Poppy Kitchen.
This article appears in Mar 5-11, 2015.
The Metzgers seem to spread themselves way too thin.
One tiny taco was way to expensive. Make them affordable and i would have been there every day for lunch
so sad I loved this place!
This place was obviously trying to cater to the student population, as are many of the new downtown spots, and it didn’t work. There are other young people and families who live and work downtown. We’d like to see more ‘traditional downtown’ food options like authentic ethnic restaurants (no Indian food downtown!) instead of the newest version of fast-casual.
Metzger needs to stop throwing concepts at the wall — Tucson — to see what sticks. One restaurant only. Focus on it, make it successful and then branch out slowly IF the restaurant has a solid financial foundation. He’s not Sam Fox, he’ll never be Sam Fox and the sooner he gets that, the better.
And so begins the downward spiral of all the businesses Tucson can’t/won’t sustain. Maker House, Gio. Downtown will be a revolving door of short lived businesses until it rests with many lovely spots with vacancy signs.
Sigh.
This place has been Hemorrhaging money since the beginning I can’t believe it made it this long. If they had disdained themselves to make some regular carne asada tacos or shrimp tacos for a regular price, things may have been different. That way, hipsters could Instagram about the shredded pickled chimchurri pork belly tacos and the. Their non-hipster friends could get a couple of carne asada tacos for 2.50 each and been happy. But I think they were trying too hard. Each taco had so many frickin adjectives. Why did everthing have to be “pickled” and then be made of belly of some kind of belly? There are other parts of an animal besides the “be belly.
Fans of the place, don’t worry. You can go to jackson tavern and get lobster and mayonnaise on a hot dog bun for 13 bucks if you must fulfill your need for over-priced food from other regions, done poorl and covered with white sauce of some kind.
I know. Why don’t we spend a couple trillion dollars and run a street car past their front door?
Another metzger restaurant bites the dust. Bad karma.
Hopefully a craft cocktail bar with 15 dollar drinks will open in the same spot. Downtown needs more shaved ice. And pizza.
Since moving to Tucson twenty four years ago, our policy has been to eat only at locally owned restaurants. So we’re saddened when many of these fail and grateful to have the survivors prosper. It’s easy to be smug and dismissive when a venture fails ignoring the blood, sweat and tears that went into opening a new restaurant, and the investment and livelihoods lost in the process.
Success to the Metzgers on their next eating establishment. Hopefully they will discover a formula that works in Tucson.
Continuing poor service and mediocre food is a recipe for closure. People expect good service and good food.
My dad told me years ago, when Stienfelds and Jacome’s closed, downtown was dying. Real big bucks are going to be lost this time around. Wonder where the final resting place for the streetcar will be?
This guy pretty much screwed a bunch of investors and didn’t think twice about it. He has caused them and the city of Tucson a great deal of distress all for the glorification of his massive ego. It’s a shame cause he used to have a good reputation. I don’t know what happened. My wife and I used to like his places but somewhere along the line they derailed. And the train wreck has been ugly.