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Key Takeaways

• Ruiz Foods is cutting 176 jobs at its Dinuba plant, with most departures scheduled for November 4.
• The company says the factory will remain open and attributes the cuts to anticipated customer demand.
• California’s layoff-notice requirements provide important protections for affected workers.

By Samuel López | USA Herald

Ruiz Foods, the company behind El Monterey frozen burritos and Tornados snacks, is eliminating 176 jobs at its Dinuba, California, manufacturing facility—another workforce reduction in the Central Valley where the family-owned business began more than six decades ago.

According to SFGATE’s September 10 report, which cited a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification reviewed by the publication, 170 employees are scheduled to lose their jobs November 4. Six others were laid off between September 2 and September 9.

For affected households, the timing puts a job search just weeks ahead of the holiday season.

President and CEO Kimberli Carroll said the decision was necessary to bring production capacity into line with expected customer demand. The company’s statement did not provide a more detailed explanation of the business conditions behind the cuts.

The Dinuba facility, which reportedly employs approximately 1,400 people, will remain open. Ruiz Foods described the plant as an important part of its manufacturing operations and said investment there would continue.

The announced cuts amount to roughly 13% of that reported workforce.

The layoffs follow the company’s headquarters relocation to Frisco, Texas, but the available information does not establish that the move caused these job losses or that the affected positions are being transferred to Texas.

The headquarters transition unfolded over several years. Ruiz Foods established a regional headquarters in Frisco in 2022, decided in 2023 to move its corporate headquarters there, and celebrated the office’s official opening in March 2024. At the time, it cited a central location, customer access and recruitment opportunities. Ruiz Foods’ headquarters announcement

The company’s California roots run deep. Fred Ruiz and his father, Louis, founded the business in a small Tulare warehouse in 1964. Its Dinuba manufacturing facility opened in 1990, followed by expansion into other states. Ruiz Foods’ company history

In 2024, Ruiz Foods announced the closure of a separate Tulare manufacturing plant, affecting 215 employees, according to the supplied reporting. That facility had opened in 2004 to supplement Dinuba’s production capacity.

In its May 2024 closure statement, Ruiz Foods said the Tulare plant was too small and needed substantial capital investment. Some employees were offered the possibility of transferring to Dinuba. The available reporting does not identify whether any transferred workers are affected by the latest cuts.

For employees, California’s WARN requirements are a central legal consideration. State guidance generally calls for at least 60 days’ written notice before a covered mass layoff, including qualifying reductions of 50 or more employees within 30 days at covered establishments with at least 75 employees.

Notice must reach affected employees and designated government recipients. California’s Employment Development Department also says notices issued under the updated 2026 requirements must include information about worker support and available services. California EDD WARN guidance

A reported filing date alone cannot establish whether every notice obligation was satisfied. Evaluating compliance would require the actual notices, delivery information and circumstances surrounding the separations. The available reporting does not establish a WARN violation.

EDD’s Rapid Response program can help affected workers navigate job searches, training opportunities and unemployment insurance information. For Dinuba families facing the November departures, those services could become an immediate source of practical help.

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