Change is in the air at Tijuana Flats. In less than a week, the 91-unit fast-casual chain has filed for bankruptcy, closed 11 restaurants and gotten new owners. All of this comes on the heels of updating its menu and packaging.

Flatheads LLC is the chain’s new owner. The nearly 30-year-old chain had previously been owned by TJF USA, LLC. Joe Christina, who joined Tijuana Flats in November of 2022, will remain as CEO of the company.

The sale and subsequent bankruptcy filing are the result of a strategic review that started in November of 2023 when TJF began exploring various options which had included a potential sale, per a company release.

As part of these efforts, Tijuana Flats closed 11 restaurants last week. The decision to close those locations came following “a unit-by-unit analysis of financial performance, occupancy costs, and market conditions,” the release noted. The chain “will continue to provide full support to its franchisees and its remaining locations will continue to operate as usual.”