Jimboy’s will return to its iconic Sacramento location after Midtown Taco Co. closes

Midtown Taco Co. has permanently closed after a year at 1420 29th St. in midtown Sacramento, but a familiar brand is taking its place.

Owners Cliff and Martha Rapisura confirmed the closure in a now-private Instagram post before changing their page’s bio to “Permanently CLOSED.” First reported by the Sacramento Business Journal, the closure comes nearly a year to the day after Midtown Taco Co. initially opened.

The Rapisuras previously operated the Jimboy’s Tacos that occupied that 29th Street building for 52 years, ultimately closing in October 2019. Midtown Taco Co. offered a similar Americanized Mexican fast-food experience with a slightly more modern feel, as Sacramento Bee dining critic Kate Washington wrote in a June 2020 roundup of new restaurants.

But the coronavirus pandemic, social distancing directives and an industry-wide worker shortage forced the Rapisuras to close for good, they said in the Instagram post.

“Unfortunately, as everyone knows, 2020 was perhaps the worst time to open a new restaurant. The pandemic has added extra challenges to an already strenuous industry. Alongside the difficulty of dining restrictions, finding labor has been the most trying aspect thus far,” the post read.

A replacement restaurant is already lined up for the space, the post said, and a Jimboy’s sign went up shortly after. A Jimboy’s spokesperson later confirmed the taco chain will reopen there around May 15 under franchisee Gary Perez.

Started in a Lake Tahoe trailer in 1954, Folsom-based Jimboy’s Tacos now has more than 40 locations in California, Nevada and Texas.

This story was originally published April 14, 2021 at 1:23 PM.