Read the brutal American verdict on Guzman y Gomez's food as Aussie chain closes down in the US

Published: 01:43, 26 May 2026 | Updated: 01:45, 26 May 2026 Americans have described Aussie favourite GYG's Mexican fast food as 'bland' and 'overpriced' as the chain announced its US exit. After six years of selling burritos and 'big dreams' in the Chicago area, Australian Chipotle rival Guzman y Gomez will shutter all its US restaurants. The company made the official announcement on Friday, May 22, and Guzman y Gomez's US-listed stock ceased trading that day. 'I have always been confident in the differentiation of our food and guest experience, however this was not translating to an improvement in sales momentum,' founder Steven Marks said. Some former customers took to social media, revealing a total lack of surprise at the announcement. 'I have only been there one time,' one American said. 'They got my order wrong by giving me the wrong meat. I asked them to remake it with what I actually ordered and they made me feel like I was the problem.' Another described the food as 'terrible,' writing: 'my Australian family couldn’t wait to take me there when they visited ... and I have never been back. I had Mexican food in Australia once ... big mistake.' 'Oh no,' one social media user added. 'The Australian company masquerading as a Mexican restaurant couldn't make it in a country with 37 million Mexican Americans.' A third said: 'Some d***heads in Australia thought let’s make the most bland Mexican food and then mask how horrible it is by stealing authentic Latino names and faces and slapping that on the front.' Guzman y Gomez has around 267 locations in Australia, Singapore and Japan Guzman y Gomez founder Steven Marks said the 'sales momentum' in the US was underwhelming  A fourth added: 'Anyone who thinks it is good has never had real Mexican food or even chipotle. DO NOT GO.' Another said: 'Imagine living in Australia and that was the ONLY “Mexican” food you could find - painful.' A sixth said: 'Painfully average - surrounded by local Mexican food that’s so much better it was never gonna make it.' Guzman y Gomez opened its first US store in Chicago in January 2020 and expanded to a total of eight stores across the greater Chicago area. Back in 2020, the company said it was aiming to open 'hundreds, if not thousands' of locations across the country, some of which were still in the works when the chain announced its sudden closure. Executives confirmed the decision was only about stepping away from the US market and had no bearing on the brand's global potential. 'If you're ever in Australia, Singapore or Japan, come find us - we'll have your favs waiting for you,' the company wrote in a statement. Just hours after the announcement, American workers at Guzman y Gomez’s launched a class action lawsuit against the chain over allegations staff were let go without the right amount of pay or notice.  The suit claims that the company was required to provide 60 days’ advance written notice before doing a mass layoff. A company spokesperson told the Guardian that it is 'aware of legal action filed in the United States and we are confident we have met all of our legal obligations to our US employees.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.