Mad Mex in Oakland closes because of staffing challenges, lease situation
Despite being surrounded by thousands of college students, Mad Mex in Oakland could not find enough employees to remain open.
After nearly 30 years in business on the corner of Atwood and Bates Streets, the restaurant has closed.
“I can’t tell you how many people have said to me, ‘There are 30,000 college students and you can’t find people to work?’ ” said Bill Fuller, a chef and president for Big Burrito Restaurant Group, which owns eight Mad Mex locations, including in Erie, as well as other restaurants throughout the city. “And yes, we are also close to the city and we can’t find staff.”
A message on the Big Burrito Restaurant Group website and social media reads:
“It is with heavy hearts that we announce the difficult decision to close Mex Oakland due to ongoing staffing and operational challenges. We’ll never forget the good times we’ve shared on Atwood over the past 30 years. We hope to continue to make great memories with you at our other Mad Mex locations throughout the city.”
Fuller said they aren’t fully staffed at any of the restaurants. The Oakland location had even fewer, and most of them were part-time. If a staffer called off, the Oakland restaurant was not able to open.
Fuller said the 20 employees have been offered other positions within the company.
This isn’t just a restaurant issue, he said. Many businesses are finding it difficult to be completely staffed since the pandemic.
The lease on the Oakland building is up soon, which factored into the decision, he said.
A separate closure of a Mad Mex restaurant in State College wasn’t because of business or staffing. The restaurant was connected to the Days Inn hotel that terminated the lease, Fuller said. They are looking for other locations but acquiring a liquor license is making that more challenging. They shared the hotel’s liquor license and there is a limited amount available in State College.
“Liquor licenses are valuable in a place like State College,” Fuller said.
The Oakland location was the first Mad Mex, opening in 1993. It was a perfect place to start for founders Tom Baron and his business partner Juno Yoon because it had been a restaurant prior, Fuller said. It was the beginning of Big Burrito Restaurant Group, which Fuller joined when Kaya opened in Pittsburgh’s Strip District in 1995.
He said construction has begun on Alta Via in Market Square in Downtown Pittsburgh, which he expects to be open this summer. He said the combination of more workers returning to offices in the city and the transformation of buildings into residences is a positive for restaurants and other Downtown businesses. It’s helped business at Kaya with more people living in the in the Strip District, he said.
Fuller said he will also miss the Oakland establishment. He and his wife had many dates there, as did so many other people, he said. He said the colorful mural painted on the side of the building years ago brightened that corner.
“This is sad to close this location,” Fuller said. “Hundreds of thousands of people have memories from dining there. Marriages have come from people meeting at Mad Mex. It’s been a part of Pittsburgh for 30 years. For the next 50 years, when people in Pittsburgh give directions they will say, ‘Turn where the Mad Mex used to be.’ ”
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region’s diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of “A Daughter’s Promise.” She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
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