The Range Cafe, a 33-year-old New Mexico culinary institution, has eliminated dinner service at four of its six locations as the locally-owned restaurant chain adapts to rising costs and changing customer patterns that have squeezed restaurants statewide.
Only breakfast and lunch will be served at Range Cafe locations on Central Avenue, Rio Grande Boulevard, Wyoming Boulevard, and Coors Boulevard in Albuquerque. The original Bernalillo location and Los Lunas restaurant will continue full dinner service.
The decision reflects broader challenges facing New Mexico’s restaurant industry, which employs more than 82,000 people statewide and generates over $2 billion in annual sales, according to the New Mexico Restaurant Association. Nationally, restaurant employment growth has stalled in recent months after the industry added nearly 68,000 jobs earlier this year.
The business has maintained many employees for years, but finding and affording enough staff to serve three meals daily at six restaurants has become increasingly difficult. Restaurant workers nationwide earn nearly 23% of their income through tips, making them vulnerable to economic downturns that reduce customer spending, according to recent data from payment processor Square.
The Range Cafe’s struggles mirror challenges across the restaurant sector, where profit margins have proven highly volatile. Higher-end restaurants saw earnings margins fall to 12.2% in early 2025, down from a peak of 19% in the second quarter of 2024, according to Square’s partnership with hospitality accounting firm Paperchase.
The Range Cafe opened its original location in 1992 when co-owners Tom Fenton and Matt DiGregory converted a former gas station in Bernalillo into a 56-seat restaurant, according to the company’s website. After a devastating fire destroyed the original building in 1995, the restaurant reopened in its current Bernalillo location in 1996 and expanded to six locations known for “ordinary food done extraordinarily well.”
The Bernalillo and Los Lunas locations will maintain their dinner service, with Los Lunas serving lunch and dinner on weekdays and all three meals on weekends. The company has also condensed its menu and adjusted hours at some locations to improve operational efficiency.
Restaurant employment nationwide remains above pre-pandemic levels, but the industry continues struggling with workforce challenges, according to the National Restaurant Association. Full-service restaurants still employ 228,000 fewer workers than before COVID-19, while limited-service segments like coffee shops and quick-service restaurants have exceeded pre-pandemic staffing levels.
The National Restaurant Association projects the industry will add 200,000 jobs nationwide in 2025, bringing total employment to 15.9 million workers. However, recent data shows hiring activity offset by increased employee departures, causing overall job growth to stall in June and July.
The Range Cafe’s operational changes aim to focus resources on the most profitable service periods while maintaining the locally-owned chain’s reputation for quality food and community support. The restaurant has long been known for its colorful southwestern decor, New Mexican cuisine, and support of local artists.
“These updates are not about cutting back; they are about building a stronger, more sustainable Range Cafe for the future,” owners Fenton and DiGregory said in a statement posted to the restaurant’s website. “By focusing on the hours and experiences that our guests love most, we’re able to support our team more effectively.”
The changes take effect immediately at all four Albuquerque locations, which will now focus on breakfast, brunch and lunch service during adjusted operating hours.