Guzman y Gomez (GyG), an Australian fast food chain, has announced its exit from the US market after struggling to establish a foothold in a competitive landscape dominated by established Mexican food chains like Chipotle. The company confirmed that the performance of its eight stores in the Chicago area was unsatisfactory, leading to anticipated one-off costs of up to $40 million USD. Founder and co-CEO Steven Marks expressed that the necessary investment to improve sales momentum was not justifiable, stating, “This was going to take significantly more time and capital than we had expected.” Analysts had previously warned that GyG might not break even in the US for at least another decade. The US has been labeled a “graveyard” for Australian fast food brands, with GyG joining others like Crust Gourmet Pizza in failing to gain traction. In contrast, GyG continues to thrive in Australia, where it operates 237 stores and is expanding into Asian markets such as Singapore and Japan. Following the announcement, GyG's stock price rose over 15%, although it remains below its initial public offering price of $22.