After a year and a half of serving customers on the Hill, Zury’s Taco Bar has announced that the restaurant will permanently close its doors next week. The business had just celebrated its first year in June — marked with a ribbon cutting in front of the restaurant.
Before the opening of their restaurant on the Hill, Zury’s operated as a food truck, called Zury’s Cuisine and Tacos. Owner Itzury “Zuri” Arestegui had found success in the food truck world — and with an empty space on the Hill, thought that owning a restaurant was worth a try.
The restaurant space on the Hill had remained empty since the Other Place closed in 2021. Three years later, the building became the home of Zury’s Taco Bar.
After countless hours and dollars spent on this business, Arestegui has decided to find a new dream. This comes after the restaurant closed briefly a year ago — due to their negative financial standing.
“The economy is tough right now, and that’s the honest truth,” Arestegui said. “Everything keeps getting more expensive, and with so many Mexican restaurants everywhere, it feels harder and harder to keep going.”
Amigos, Los Cabos and Pablo’s are three of the eight Mexican restaurants in Cedar Falls alone. Amigos and Carlos O’ Kelley’s are by College Square Mall, within two miles of Zury’s.
“The competition isn’t just about food anymore,” Arestegui added. “It’s also about finding good employees, and trying to keep up with rising payroll.”
Without the proper number of employees, Zury found herself working seven days a week — sometimes 16 hours a day.
There was no other choice for her — without help, the future of her business was in her own hands. To keep Zury’s running, it was up to her to do the work.
“Sometimes it feels like I’m carrying everything on my shoulders,” she said.
When Zury’s closed briefly a year ago, it was because the business “couldn’t get out of the red.”
According to Arestegui, Zury’s still hasn’t seen much profit in the one year they have been open.
“I just want to make the right decision before falling into a deep hole of debt,” Arestegui said. “This is the reality so many small business owners live every day, and sometimes it feels overwhelming.”
While the sit-down era of Zury’s has ended, Arestegui hasn’t confirmed whether or not she will return to serve the Cedar Valley. She said she may eventually return to her food truck, as it has lower expenses.
“I think it’s time to let go and bring this chapter to an end,” said Arestegui. “But for now, we just need to close this chapter and finally breathe.”
