POCATELLO — About two years after opening, a local Mexican restaurant is shuttering its doors in the Gate City.

The Garcia’s Mexican Restaurant located in the former Chili’s Grill & Bar on Yellowstone Avenue announced on Facebook Tuesday that it’s closing.

The closure of Garcia’s is one of several recent developments in the Pocatello restaurant industry that has included ownership changes, relocations, closures and new beginnings.

Wednesday was Garcia’s last day open in Pocatello, according to the Facebook post.

Garcia’s opened in the Gate City in May 2021. The Journal attempted to contact the owner of the Pocatello Garcia’s for this story but did not receive a response.

Garcia’s will continue to operate its locations in Idaho Falls as well as several in Arizona and one each in California and Utah.

Dan Cravens, a former regional economist for the state of Idaho and clinical assistant professor of management at Idaho State University, spoke to the Journal Thursday about the current climate for restaurants in the Pocatello area.

Cravens didn’t speak directly to Garcia’s closure but did mention that it “seems like there are a healthy number of Mexican restaurants in the area, which makes competition pretty tight.”

Additionally, Cravens said Pocatello can be somewhat deceiving when it comes to the attractive qualities that chain restaurants look for in communities.

“So one of the things that makes Pocatello attractive to chain restaurants is the fact that it’s a university town with ISU being present,” Cravens said. “I think what may be a little bit misleading with regards to the factors that would cause a chain to think college students are a good population to eat out a lot is that ISU has a pretty non-traditional student body.”

Cravens continued, “Many ISU students are off-campus students, a lot of them tend to be older with families and they tend not to have the same level of disposable income as students at a lot of other campuses that cater towards more traditional college-aged students.”

Cravens also mentioned that aside from ISU, a majority of Pocatello residents at large do not have as much disposable income as other comparable cities.

“I think that cuts into the ability for people who choose to go out and eat,” Cravens said. “And even in the best of economies, businesses close.”

In addition to Garcia’s, Pocatello has lost several restaurants in the last couple years, including Tastee Treet, Grecian Key, Uncle Jim’s, Perkins and Shawn’s Smoke and Fire BBQ. A few restaurants have changed owners, including Goody’s, Buddy’s, Sandbaggers and Off the Rails Brewing.

Butterburr’s and Señor Garcia’s Puerto Vallarta recently moved to new locations, and several restaurants have opened or announced plans to open, such as Palate Neighborhood Bistro, Angel’s Mexican Grill, Cielito Lindo, Olive Garden and Red Rabbit Grill.

According to Cravens, there are both benefits and drawbacks for opening franchise-owned restaurants or locally owned eateries in the Gate City.

“A lot of times people shop at a locally owned, unique family restaurant because they want that home cooked, non-packaged atmosphere,” Cravens said. “But franchises have that draw because you can consistently know what to expect. For instance the Olive Garden in Lubbock, Texas, will likely be identical to the one in Pocatello.”

Cravens continued, “But when you go to places like Buddy’s or Villano’s you’re not going to find another place with the same ambiance or menu. I think a lot of folks that eat out locally really value that kind of unique experience.”