Georgia

Del Taco’s locations in this Southern state have closed. See where.

Published

2 weeks ago

February 20, 2026

Del Taco’s locations in this Southern state have closed. See where.

Del Taco’s Georgia locations have abruptly closed as the franchise owner of the restaurants navigates Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the company said.

As of Friday, Feb. 20, when searching for the American-Mexican fast-food chain’s Georgia locations, its website says, “Sorry, this location no longer exists.”

When reached by email on Feb. 20, Del Taco said the franchisee operating its Atlanta, Columbus, Macon and Chattanooga (Fort Oglethorpe) locations closed all 14 restaurants.

“This closure occurred without prior notice to Del Taco,” the company said in its statement. “The franchisee is currently undergoing bankruptcy proceedings, and we are actively exploring options to reopen these locations as soon as possible. Updates will be shared as plans are finalized.”

Del Taco was owned by Jack in the Box from 2021 until late 2025, when Yadav Enterprises, which operates more than 300 franchise restaurants across the United States, bought the company in December 2025. At the time, Del Taco said it operated more than 600 locations across the country, with most of its restaurants in California, where the company is based.

A Redditor shared on Tuesday, Feb. 17, that the location in Georgia’s Warner Robins, about 20 miles south of Macon, closed.

“Manager was told all the Del tacos in the state of Georgia are closing effective today,” the user wrote on Feb. 17. “There’s nothing in the news about this. Anyone know what’s up? She said it had to do a chapter 11 bankruptcy.”

Court records obtained by USA TODAY show that a franchise owner running 22 Del Taco locations in Georgia and Alabama filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in July 2025 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of South Carolina.

USA TODAY contacted the franchise owner, Matador Restaurant Group, but did not immediately receive a response on Feb. 20. According to the documents, the company has about 336 employees.

Del Taco franchise owner took out high-interest loans to fight money woes

The restaurant group said in the July 2025 court documents that the company has “cash flow issues” and previously closed two of its underperforming locations.

According to the court filing, the restaurant group’s financial woes began in late 2024 due to company growth, an “unexpected decline in sales, and rising operational costs.”

After discussing the issues with brokers, the company took out Merchant Cash Advance (MCA) loans to resolve the issue. MCA loans involve a company paying a “lump sum of cash up front in exchange for a percentage of the business’s future sales or revenue,” according to the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation. 

The restaurant group said the MCA loans put the company “into further financial distress due to the excessive fees, excessive effective interest rate, and aggressive payback schedules.”

“Despite its efforts to reduce expenses, (the restaurant group’s) revenue has not been able to keep up with the MCA obligations,” the company wrote in the documents, adding that as of July 15, 2025, the company had 10 MCA loans with nine different creditors.

Per the documents, the restaurant group said it owed $2.701 million.

Another franchisee, Newport Ventures, abruptly closed 17 of Colorado’s 18 locations in March after issues with Del Taco and a bankruptcy filing, the Pensacola News Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported. Del Taco confirmed to USA TODAY in June 2025 that the 17 locations are reopening.

How recently did Del Taco closures begin?

Online reports of Del Taco closures in Georgia date back to at least August 2025, when a Redditor and fan of the chain shared that they tried to visit a location in Kennesaw, only to find “its doors locked with signs plastered everywhere stating the location is permanently closed.”

“This is the second DT in town to close in as many months,” the user wrote. “GA has already lost Del Taco once before, and I fear we may be headed towards a second dark age.”

Another user added that they, too, stopped by a Georgia location in August, this time in Morrow, and it was boarded up as well.

Elsewhere in the U.S., Del Taco locations in Florida have closed. Pensacola Del Taco District Manager Kimberly Garrasi previously confirmed to the Pensacola News Journal that five Del Taco locations in Florida would close.

The Tallahassee, Florida, location closed about a year after opening, according to the Tallahassee Democrat, part of the USA TODAY Network. Per the Democrat, a note posted on the Del Taco drive-thru read “This location is now closed. We appreciate your support!”

However, while franchise closures have been reported in multiple states, Del Taco has announced plans to expand.

Per the Louisville Courier Journal, also part of the USA TODAY Network, Del Taco announced in summer 2025 plans to open five locations with a new franchisee, Karan Pandher, in Louisville, Kentucky.

According to the Courier Journal, Del Taco said the first location will likely host its grand opening by 2027.

Contributing: Kyla A Sanford, Tallahassee Democrat; Brittany Misencik, Pensacola News Journal; Amanda Hancock, Louisville Courier Journal

Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY’s NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com.

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Georgia

Why Southern Living is spotlighting serene coastal escape in Georgia

Published

1 hour ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Why Southern Living is spotlighting serene coastal escape in Georgia

A quiet stretch of the Georgia coast is back in the national spotlight.

In a recent feature, Southern Living highlighted the Golden Isles as one of the South’s most serene escapes, praising the region’s undeveloped marshes, barrier islands and slower pace compared to other East Coast beach destinations.

Located roughly halfway between Savannah and Jacksonville, the Golden Isles include Brunswick, Sea Island, St. Simons Island, Jekyll Island and Little St. Simons Island.

Here’s what to know.

What makes Georgia’s Golden Isles different?

Unlike more densely developed beach towns in neighboring states, Georgia’s coastline is defined by tidal creeks, salt marshes and wide stretches of protected land.

“The coast of Georgia is quite different than the shores of North Carolina or South Carolina,” Southern Living wrote. “It’s wilder and quieter, and it’s much less populated with beach towns.”

While the islands offer modern resorts and vacation homes, much of the natural character remains intact.

One of the most photographed spots is Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island, known for its haunting remains of a maritime forest scattered along the shoreline.

Where are visitors staying?

The publication pointed to several well-known properties across the islands:

The Cloister at Sea Island
Jekyll Island Club Resort
St. Simons Island: The Grey Owl Inn and the St. Simons Lighthouse.

Little St. Simons Island, accessible only by boat, was highlighted for its all-inclusive lodge and thousands of acres of protected marshland and upland habitat.

What can you do in the Golden Isles?

Southern Living emphasized simple, immersive experiences:

Biking under live oaks
Kayaking through marsh creeks
Horseback riding along the beach
Watching sunsets over the water.

Public beaches like East Beach on St. Simons Island remain open to visitors, while golf courses on Jekyll Island and St. Simons offer year-round play.

The region’s history also plays a major role. Visitors can climb the St. Simons Lighthouse, explore historic districts in Brunswick or learn about Gullah Geechee heritage through local organizations.

For more information, visit southernliving.com/georgias-golden-isles-11906085.

Vanessa Countryman is the Trending Topics Reporter for the Deep South Connect Team Georgia. Email her at Vcountryman@gannett.com.

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Georgia

Gov. Kemp signs amended FY 2026 budget, delivering $2B in Georgia tax relief

Published

13 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

Gov. Kemp signs amended FY 2026 budget, delivering B in Georgia tax relief

ATLANTA, Ga. — Georgia Governor Brian P. Kemp on Tuesday signed HB 973, the amended Fiscal Year 2026 budget.

The amended budget includes $2 billion in income and property tax relief, alongside investments in education, public safety, mental health, transportation and rural development.

Lt. Gov. Burt Jones praised Gov. Kemp, saying the budget…

“Makes critical investments in middle-class families, mental health services, healthcare workforce development, transportation and Georgia’s veterans community.”

Key allocations in the amended budget include:

Education and Workforce Development: $325 million to endow the DREAMS Scholarship, a new needs-based scholarship program; $6 million for a Career Navigator tool; and funding for new and expanded programs at University System of Georgia and Technical College System of Georgia institutions.
Public Safety: $150 million for Department of Corrections bed space, $9.7 million for additional corrections officers, $15 million for a new K-9 training facility, and $50 million to help communities address homelessness, including among veterans.
Mental Health: $409 million to design and construct a new Georgia Regional Hospital to expand mental health bed capacity.
Transportation: More than $1.6 billion to extend and expand I-75 express lanes in Henry County; $185 million for SR 316 interchange conversions; $100 million for rural bridge rehabilitation and replacement; and $250 million for local maintenance and improvement grants.
Rural Georgia: $15 million for rural site development grants; $35 million for a new natural gas infrastructure program; and $8.9 million for the Georgia Forestry Innovation Initiative.

Governor Kemp says the state’s conservative budgeting approach has allowed Georgia to provide tax relief while making “generational investments.”

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Georgia

Middle Georgia DSA condemns U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran, calls escalation ‘illegal’

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

Middle Georgia DSA condemns U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran, calls escalation ‘illegal’

MACON, Ga. (WGXA) — Middle Georgia Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) has issued a statement regarding the U.S. and Israel’s joint strikes on Iran over the weekend.

According to other WGXA articles, based on reports as of early March 2026, the United States and Israel have launched major, coordinated military operations against Iran, labeled in reports as “Operation Epic Fury” and “Operation Midnight Hammer”. This follows months of failed nuclear negotiations and escalating regional tensions.

RELATED | Hegseth insists US-Israel strikes on Iran are ‘not Iraq, not endless’

WGXA asked Middle Georgia DSA, the largest activist organization in Middle Georgia, for their opinions on the strikes, and they responded with this:

The strikes on Iran, carried out by the United States and Israel, mark a catastrophic escalation in an illegal act of aggression. The Iranian people do not deserve to live in fear of American bombs and of the instability of regime change. Americans do not want our tax dollars and the lives of our people to be wasted on opening up a new war in the Middle East, or on bombing girls’ elementary schools. We want relief from the affordability crisis. We want peace. Middle Georgia DSA unequivocally condemns these attacks and any politicians who cannot do the same. We do not want this, we do not deserve this.

DSA added that they are not currently planning any protests at this time, and that they “remain focused on improving the conditions of people who live within our communities directly, and do not feel a protest is the best strategy to deliver on that.”

Middle Georgia DSA condemns U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran, calls escalation ‘illegal’, March 2, 2026 (Image is meant to say 2026 instead of 2025, Courtesy of GCSU Mutual Aid)

However, GCSU Mutual Aid, a grassroots, community-led initiative focused on collective care and resource sharing within the Milledgeville and broader Middle Georgia area. While not an official department of Georgia College & State University (GCSU), it frequently operates in coordination with student-led groups and local residents to address gaps in traditional social safety nets.

RELATED | GCSU encourages peaceful expression ahead of national ICE walkout

GCSU Mutual Aid is planning a protest for Wednesday, where they will be “Marching for Democracy” in retaliation to recent events in the U.S.

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