Three Chuy's Mesquite Broilers that were temporarily closed in an April immigration raid have permanently shut their doors.
The Chuy's at 7585 S. Houghton Road, 3100 E. Speedway and 6310 E. Tanque Verde, all owned by Mark Evenson and Christopher Evenson, are closed and "for lease" signs are posted at the buildings.
The Evenson-owned location at 4499 W. Ina Road remains open, and a manager there, who would not give his name, said there are no plans to close.
A Chuy's at East 22nd Street and South Kolb Road has a separate franchise owner, was not involved in the investigation and remains open.
"Chuy's 22nd and Kolb is independently owned and operated, and will continue to serve the Tucson community," says a pop-up message on the restaurant's website (www.chuystucson.com). "Thank you for your support!"
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All four of the Evensons' Chuy's were temporarily shut down in April in a raid by federal immigration agents that resulted in the arrests and indictments of Mark Evenson and Christopher Evenson, as well as accountant Diane Strehlow. They were arrested on allegations that they knowingly hired illegal immigrants and paid them off the books, without collecting state or federal tax, for nearly two years.
At the time of their arrests, the Evensons owned about 20 Chuy's restaurants. Now the two own only three, including two in the Phoenix area.
Strehlow took a plea agreement in August, pleading guilty to one count of trying to defraud the Internal Revenue Service.
Attorney Dan Cooper, who is representing Mark Evenson, said the restaurant closures were related to business concerns and not the federal case. Cooper said he's waiting to hear what Strehlow told the feds and doesn't expect to get a trial date until next year.
"We're waiting for the government to disclose what she said," Cooper said. "That will be a linchpin of the case."
David Lee, broker of the Speedway and Tanque Verde buildings, said they would not reopen as Chuy's. He's had some calls from restaurants about leasing the properties, which still bear Chuy's signs, but he doesn't know when the locations will open under different names.
"I never know when somebody legitimate will show up," Lee said.
Brian Latta, owner of the Chuy's at 22nd and Kolb, said the Houghton location closed six weeks after the raid, followed by the Tanque Verde restaurant around Sept. 5 and the Speedway location Sept. 25.
"We look forward to expanding our horizons and our good reputation and good standing in the community," Latta said, adding he will definitely open new Chuy's at some point, although probably not at the former locations of the closed restaurants.
"They will be fresh starts," he said.
Contact reporter Phil Villarreal at pvillarreal@azstarnet.com or 573-4130.