Tumbleweed Tilts Toward Tex-Mex

Business First reports that Louisville-based casual-dining chain Tumbleweed Tex Mex Grill & Margarita Bar closed eight of its 32 locations spread across Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky as part of an effort to focus on becoming known as a "Tex-Mex" brand. President/CEO Matt Higgins said customers couldn't differentiate Tumbleweed from "Mexican restaurants or steakhouses," and cited a "mesquite wood grill" as a key element marking Tumbleweed as Tex-Mex. Rick Schardein, CEO of 360 Marketing, agency of record for Tumbleweed told Eater over 10 months of research in "Louisville, Ohio, St. Louis" were conducted before the refocusing process even began, which he believed would be at least "a year-long process" including "adopting a single-minded focus on the American cuisine that is Tex-Mex."
· Tumbleweed closes restaurants, refocuses brand [Business First]
· Tumbleweed Tex Mex Grill & Margarita Bar [Official Site]