All South Texas Delia’s Tamales locations reopened after FBI raid

All seven Delia’s Tamales restaurants reopened Thursday following an investigation that dispatched FBI agents to several of the McAllen-based chain’s locations.

Personnel at Delia’s San Antonio store and its six others sprinkled across the Rio Grande Valley told the Current the outlets are back in operation and running with their regular business hours.

In operation for nearly 30 years, the chain is considered a South Texas culinary institution. Indeed, Delia’s won the best tamales category in the Current‘s Best of San Antonio issue, which dropped Wednesday, and the Alamo City store drew lines around the block when it opened in 2020.

On Wednesday, FBI personnel raided the Delia’s in Northwest San Antonio. Agents also were spotted at Delia’s stores in McAllen and Pharr, according to media reports.

In a statement to the Current, the FBI confirmed agents were “performing court-authorized law enforcement activity” at the Alamo City location. However, bureau officials declined to say more about the investigation.

Personnel with Delia’s corporate office were unavailable for comment Thursday. However, Delia’s attorney Ricardo Gonzalez told the Express-News the FBI informed the company about its activity.

Although neither the FBI nor Delia’s Tamales has disclosed why the federal agents were at the restaurants, the raids come amid an ongoing legal battle over accusations the company engaged in age discrimination and fraud.

In a lawsuit filed last summer in Hidalgo County District Court, at least 25 former employees accused Delia’s of obtaining fake Social Security numbers for some workers. The petition also accuses Delia’s officials of withholding federal Social Security taxes from paychecks but keeping the deductions in the business’ coffers.

Delia’s officials have denied wrongdoing.

New details emerged this May, when former employees alleged during a court hearing that Delia’s maintained two sets of books: one for legitimate payroll checks and another to track under-the-table payments. Attorneys for the plaintiffs also accused company founder and owner Delia Lubin of having restaurant crew members clean her home.

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This article appears in Best of San Antonio 2024.