Tijuana Flats founder Brian Wheeler reacts to his first restaurant’s closure

ORLANDO, Fla. — Editor’s note: This story is available as a result of a content partnership between WFTV and the Orlando Business Journal.

Brian Wheeler, a local entrepreneur who achieved legendary status thanks to his incredibly popular taco chain, heard sad news about the restaurant he opened in 1995: The first Tijuana Flats -- at 7608 University Blvd. -- was permanently shuttered.

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On April 19, Orlando Business Journal reported that AUA Private Equity sold the company to Mississippi-based Flatheads LLC, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and closed 11 stores — including the company’s original Winter Park spot.

Wheeler sold Tijuana Flats to AUA Private Equity Partners LLC in 2015, and no longer has any involvement in its operations. Still, nostalgia set in when he learned the University Blvd. eatery wouldn’t open its doors again.

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Click here to read the full story on the Orlando Business Journal’s website.

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