Macayo’s made headlines in February 2019 when the family behind the longtime Phoenix restaurant sold the company to Kind Hospitality.
Now, the repercussions of that sale are becoming reality.
The company’s flagship restaurant, Woody’s Macayo, located on Central Avenue, will close after end of business on Dec. 31. Woody’s Macayo was one of two locations retained by the Johnson family after the sale.
While much of the memorabilia will be transferred to different Macayo’s locations, the abrupt closure doesn’t give fans much time to enjoy the destination restaurant.
Woody and Victoria Johnson opened their first Phoenix restaurant, called Woody’s El Nido, in 1946. Since then the family changed the name and grew the chain into the Phoenix institution and tourist destination that it is today.
The family-owned and -operated restaurants around the Valley were known for serving large plates of enchiladas, cheese crisps and giant burritos for more than 70 years.
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In February 2019, Kind Hospitality bought six locations of Macayos in Phoenix, Ahwatukee, Glendale, Goodyear, Mesa and Surprise. The sale left the original family with the flagship Central Avenue location and the Depot Cantina in Tempe, Nava Singam of Kind Hospitality said in a statement on Tuesday.
The Tempe location is still owned by the Johnson family and continues to operate under a licensing agreement.
While the flagship location closes with the end of the year, fans can find Macayo’s food at seven other locations across metro Phoenix for now.
There are also plans for more Macayo’s locations in future, according to the release from Kind Hospitality.
Outside of metro Phoenix, Macayo’s had locations in Tucson and Las Vegas, though the restaurants are now closed.
Reach the reporter at tirion.morris@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Twitter at @tirionmorris, on Facebook at Tirion Rose and on Instagram at tirionrose.
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