Rubio's shuts down 48 locations in California, including 24 in SoCal

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Rubio's Coastal Grill shut down dozens of locations in California, including 24 across the Southland.

A spokesperson for the restaurant said a total of 48 California locations have shut down due to what the company calls the rising costs of doing business in the state.

Twenty-four of those closures are in San Bernardino, Orange, Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

An additional 13 locations are closing in the San Diego area, according to ABC10 in San Diego.

A company spokesperson released the following statement:

"Making the decision to close a store is never an easy one. Rubio's Coastal Grill, Home of the Original Fish Taco, after a thorough review of its operations and the current business climate, has decided to close 48 underperforming locations in California as of May 31, while keeping 86 stores in California, Arizona, and Nevada open. The closings were brought about by the rising cost of doing business in California. While painful, the store closures are a necessary step in our strategic long-term plan to position Rubio's for success for years to come."