As Private Equity Scales Up Small Restaurants, Customers Push Back NYT - Top Stories By: Priya Krishna 20 October 2026 at 16:22 Deep-pocketed investment groups are giving mom-and-pop food businesses a shot at big success. But many of their regulars are speaking out against those deals. © Emon Hassan for The New York TimesAfter the acquisition, Los Tacos reassured frustrated customers that little about how the stores looked or operated was going to change.