This popular chain of metro Phoenix Mexican restaurants sold for $28M to a BBQ chain
Andi Berlin
Barrio Queen, a popular metro Phoenix chain of Mexican restaurants, will soon be part of the Famous Dave's restaurant family.
Phoenix Business Journal reported this week that the barbecue chain's parent company BBQ Holdings Inc. signed a purchase agreement with the local restaurant group and the $28 million acquisition is expected to close within the next 45 days.
The article details a series of recent acquisitions by BBQ Holdings, which is based out of Minnetonka, Minnesota. In addition to Barrio Queen, the company recently purchased three undisclosed "bar-centric locations" for $4.5 million, in addition to purchasing Village Inn and Baker's Square last year.
To reflect these shifts, the company also announced to the Phoenix Business Journal this week that it's changing its name from BBQ Holdings to Famous Hospitality Inc.
Barrio Queen was originally opened in Old Town Scottsdale in 2011 by Barrio Café chef and founder Silvana Salcido Esparza.
Esparza went through a contentious split with partners Steve Rosenfield and his wife, Linda Nash, in 2014. Rosenfield and Nash retained the rights to the Barrio Queen name and continued to use Esparza's recipes.
In reaction to the news of the 2022 sale, Esparza reposted the Phoenix Business Journal article onto her personal Instagram Stories to the music of the Rolling Stones song "Sympathy for the Devil."
The chain has seven Valley locations and there are plans to open a location in Surprise and a location in Tucson. The group opened fast-casual concept Barrio Cosita in Scottsdale in November 2021 and closed the restaurant in February 2022.
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Reach reporter Andi Berlin at amberlin@azcentral.com. Follow her on Facebook @andiberlin, Instagram @andiberlin or Twitter @andiberlin.