Boloco to close Davis Square location

Boloco, a local taqueria chain known for its overstuffed burritos, will close its Davis Square location tonight.

The Boston-based company struggled to attract pedestrians to the Somerville store, which is a 10-minute walk from the nearest T stop. In addition, Boloco had a difficult time competing with the half dozen other burrito eateries scattered around Davis Square and Porter Square.

"It's the lowest volume restaurant we opened in a dozen years," John S. Pepper, the chief executive officer and co-founder said in a phone interview today. "There's only so much you can do before you throw in the towel."

The restaurant, located on 187 Elm Street, serves about 200 customers a day, while the other 11 Boston locations serve between 500 to 1,000 customers a day. In the eighteen months that the Davis Square store has been opened, it generated less than $500,000 in sales.

"We thought if you build it they would come," he said. "But the customers never came."

Pepper said the bad location is mostly to blame. The Somerville store, which is situated midway between the Davis Square and Porter Square MBTA stops, was hard to reach for riders who took the train. Boloco faded in the background as better-located burrito restaurants like Anna's Taqueria, Chipotle, Qdoba, and Boca Grande drew large crowds.

The Davis Square location did became a favorite for parents in the neighborhood, Pepper said. It was the only Boloco with a play area. Somerville groups for mothers and other organizations came in weekly with their children. He notified these patrons early this morning on a blog and via email -- when the news was final.

"We've met some wonderful people at Davis," Pepper wrote on an online message board today at 4:42 a.m. under the title "O, woe! No mo Boloco after tonight."

This is the first time the chain has closed one of its locations, and Pepper stressed this is the only store that is closing. Boloco, which was called The Wrap when it opened in 1997, continues with its expansion plans. It opened a new restaurant in Burlington, Vermont on Friday, and plans to build another nine locations in the next year, including five in the Boston area.

The twelve employees that work at the Davis Square store will be moved to another location in Boston. Boloco is having a farewell party tonight from 6 to 8 p.m. Kids will eat for free and burritos and smoothies will only be $3 for adults.
(By Angel Jennings, Globe staff)