Minnesota taco shop faces eviction after legal battle
Burnsville's Don Chon Mexican Grill faces eviction
A locally owned Mexican restaurant in Minnesota that changed its name after a legal battle with Taco John's is now facing a new challenge.
BURNSVILLE, Minn. (FOX 9) - A Minnesota Mexican restaurant that changed its name after a legal battle with Taco John's is now facing a new challenge.
Taco Chon's past legal battle
The backstory:
Back in 2022, FOX 9 reported on the legal battle between Taco Chon's in Burnsville and St. Cloud and national taco chain Taco John's.
In a lawsuit, Taco John's accused Juan Ramos of trademark infringement. Ramos fought the case, arguing that his family owned a restaurant by the same name in Mexico, which was named after his father.
Ultimately, in 2024, Ramos announced his restaurants would be renamed to "Don Chon Mexican Grill."
Don Chon Mexican Grill faces new challenge
What we know:
After getting through the legal battle and the pandemic, Ramos is now facing eviction from his Burnsville location after getting behind on rent.
Ramos says he's now a few months behind on rent. He says inflation has hit him hard.
"It's been really hard," he explains. "Everything has raised the price, the food prices are going up. So, I'm trying to keep everything under control. But obviously, I had a lot of stuff to pay, employees and all that stuff."
Ramos told us he tried to work out a deal with his new landlord but says they weren't interested in a deal.
Local perspective:
Now, loyal customers are working to save the restaurant.
Aaron and Carol Rother have been coming to the restaurant well before the name change. Aaron says it's tough for his wife, a California native, to find good authentic Mexican food.
When they heard about the rent problem, they felt compelled to help.
"After all, he's been through with the lawsuit," said Aaron Rother. "And being able to stay open as a business, we wanted to help him keep that dream alive."
What you can do:
The Rothers have launched a GoFundMe to help Ramos.
What's next:
Ramos says the eviction hearing is set for next week. Ramos hopes to be able to stay at the Burnsville location but will look into moving if he is evicted.