Popular Mexican chain closing another restaurant, no bankruptcy

If you're up for a challenge and triathlons, sailing across the ocean, or learning Icelandic don't appeal, consider opening a restaurant.

Upstarting and running a restaurant are two of the hardest things a business owner can do.

Unfortunately, you can't do one without the other.

That's because both of these require a lot of cash, time, and resources. It's not exactly the kind of thing you can just run in the background and let things take care of themselves — no matter what franchise owners might tell you.

Consider everything starting a restaurant from scratch requires.

First, you must invest in a physical location. That place better be somewhere popular — or at the very least, accessible — to attract as many customers as possible.

Then you've got to renovate, buy all the necessary equipment, find and hire labor (which is highly seasonal and vulnerable to attrition), and purchase food and drinks.

The food and drinks must be purchased and repurchased, and are often thrown out due to perishability.

And utilities, like the cost of fuel or electricity, are often costlier than average since restaurants must be humming on a near-constant basis to keep food from spoiling.

None of this is even remotely easy, and there's a reason one in two restaurants fail within their first five years of business.

Adobe Gila's is closing another restaurant.

Image source: Getty Images

Running a restaurant is difficult

Even if you beat the odds and somehow become a popular dining destination, there are still plenty of pitfalls to be aware of.

Just a few bad online reviews, failed inspections, changes in customer tastes, or even construction nearby can severely hinder business.

More closings:

Take, for instance, Oscar's Taco House in San Antonio, Tex.

The famous puffy taco shop had been in business for six decades, but when the city began to draft plans to construct a new railroad overpass nearby, it forced the restaurant to close.

Plus, customer tastes are increasingly fickle. What might have been popular a few years ago can change overnight.

Ask all the Italian restaurants, who specialize in pastas, pizzas and breads, how they're faring given the recent rise in gluten-free dining.

Popular Mexican restaurant chain closing location

There's really no telling if — or when — something catastrophic might happen to even a popular restaurant.

Mexican chains, which require a lot of variety and fresh ingredients to please their customers — tend to be particularly vulnerable to rising costs or changes in taste.

And now, Adobe Gila's, a Mexican restaurant located in Columbus, Ohio, is closing down after nearly three decades in business.

The popular restaurant was known for its family-friendly environment, huge, 64 ounce margaritas, and sizzling hot plates including fajitas and tacos.

But now, Adobe Gila's has quietly closed its doors at the Easton Town Center location and deleted its social media accounts.

The restaurant did not give any reason for its closure, only stating, “Adobe Gila’s recently closed. We do not have any further updates at this time.”

It has also closed locations in Dayton, Ohio and Orlando Fla. in the past.

Adobe Gila's now only has one remaining location in Rosemont, Ill., located just outside Chicago O'Hare International Airport.