Guedo's Cantina Grille in downtown Chandler closes as redevelopment nears
A popular taco shop that operated in downtown Chandler for 30 years has closed after being acquired by a firm that plans to bring a new residential and retail development to the site.
Guedo's Cantina Grille, near the southeast corner of Arizona Avenue and Chandler Boulevard, closed at the end of December.
The restaurant's longtime owner, William "Guedo'' Samora III, confirmed the property had been acquired by COR Arizona Avenue Company LLC. The developer has been working for several years to bring the new mixed-use development to the corner, which is mostly vacant and includes a parcel of city-owned property that Chandler officials have sought to have developed.
Samora declined to provide specific details of the property acquisition.
He hinted that Guedo's may resurface in some form at another East Valley location.
"I'm very grateful for the opportunity I've had to meet some of the world's best people to help support a small business. That's what I'm going to miss,'' Samora said. "Keep on the lookout for another possible location of Guedo's taco shop coming very soon ... I'm not saying goodbye, I'm saying, 'See you later.' ''
7 reasons to visit downtown Chandler
Court records indicate the closure came after legal wrangling involving William Samora III, his brother Raymond Samora, and the developer.
In a suit filed against the brothers in November, COR alleged it had struck a deal in 2014 to acquire the property from Raymond Samora for $1.4 million. The deal fell through after Metro Phoenix Bank foreclosed on the property and filed a notice of a trustee sale about a month after COR agreed to the purchase, the suit alleges, adding that COR was unaware of the situation with the bank.
William Samora, in an interview with The Republic, declined to comment on the suit, but did say he was given five days to vacate the property in late December after COR acquired it at auction.
COR spokeswoman Maggie Truax also declined to comment on the lawsuit but confirmed that COR purchased the property at a public sale.
"It continues to be COR's desire that the Guedo's property becomes a part of the project,'' she said.
The restaurant was the last unresolved piece of the redevelopment plan, which would fill in a mostly vacant corner in the heart of Chandler's downtown. It calls for 140 new apartments on the site, coupled with about 20,000 square feet of new retail space. The Guedo's property is located at the northeast corner of the site, fronting Chandler Boulevard.
Last year COR and the city agreed to abandon their joint effort to relocate a Jack-in-the-Box restaurant that fronts Arizona Avenue on the site.
The city and COR had been working for several years in an effort to convince the restaurant to relocate to another part of the parcel, but those efforts were resisted by the company. COR said it would build its project around the Jack-in-the-Box instead.