Americans have described Aussie favourite Guzman y Gomez’s Mexican fast food as ‘bland’ and ‘overpriced’ as the chain faces a lawsuit from workers after announcing its US exit.

After six years of selling burritos and ‘big dreams’ in the Chicago area, the Australian Chipotle rival will shut all of its US restaurants.

The company made the official announcement on Friday and Guzman y Gomez’s US-listed stock ceased trading that day.

‘I have always been confident in the differentiation of our food and guest experience, however this was not translating to an improvement in sales momentum,’ founder Steven Marks said.

Former customers took to social media, revealing a total lack of surprise at the announcement.

‘I have only been there one time,’ one American said. 

‘They got my order wrong by giving me the wrong meat. I asked them to remake it with what I actually ordered and they made me feel like I was the problem.’

Another described the food as ‘terrible’, writing: ‘My Australian family couldn’t wait to take me there when they visited… and I have never been back. I had Mexican food in Australia once… big mistake.’

‘Oh no,’ one social media user added. ‘The Australian company masquerading as a Mexican restaurant couldn’t make it in a country with 37 million Mexican Americans.’

A fourth said: ‘Some d***heads in Australia thought let’s make the most bland Mexican food and then mask how horrible it is by stealing authentic Latino names and faces and slapping that on the front.’ 

Another chimed in: ‘Anyone who thinks it is good has never had real Mexican food or even Chipotle. DO NOT GO.’

Guzman y Gomez opened its first US store in Chicago in January 2020 and expanded to a total of eight stores across the city.

Back in 2020, the company said it was aiming to open ‘hundreds, if not thousands’ of locations in the US, some of which were still in the works when the chain announced its sudden closure.

Executives confirmed the decision was only about stepping away from the US market and had no bearing on the brand’s global potential.

‘If you’re ever in Australia, Singapore or Japan, come find us – we’ll have your favs waiting for you,’ the company said.

Just hours after the announcement on Friday, US Guzman y Gomez workers launched a class action lawsuit against the chain over allegations staff were let go without the right amount of pay or notice. 

The suit claims that the company was required to provide 60 days’ advance written notice before doing a mass layoff.

A company spokesperson told the Guardian that it is ‘aware of legal action filed in the United States and we are confident we have met all of our legal obligations to our US employees’.