DISCONTINUED — La Tasca, Inc. filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy on May 19, 2020, and confirmed it is permanently out of business. All US locations are closed. The Viva Rewards program no longer exists. This review is preserved for historical reference only.

La Tasca was a Spanish tapas chain that operated several US locations concentrated in the Mid-Atlantic region — Washington DC, Arlington VA, Rockville MD, Baltimore MD — plus an outpost in Arlington Heights, Illinois. The company operated in the US for roughly fifteen years before the COVID-19 pandemic ended it. At its peak, La Tasca ran a loyalty program called Viva News & Rewards (commonly shortened to Viva Rewards), which was typical of casual dining programs of its era: a sign-up discount, ongoing earn mechanics tied to spend, and members-only event invitations aligned to the brand’s tapas-and-wine positioning.

None of that matters now. La Tasca is gone, and so is the program.

What Happened to La Tasca

The chain’s collapse was fast and complete. On May 19, 2020, La Tasca, Inc. filed a Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition in the US Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maryland (Case No. 20-15357). Chapter 7 is liquidation bankruptcy — not reorganization, not a restructuring with a plan to reopen. The company sent an email to its members and contacts stating plainly: “La Tasca, Inc. … is no longer in business. We thank you for over fifteen years of support and patronage.”

COVID-19 was the proximate cause. A tapas chain built on communal small-plates dining and group social occasions was particularly exposed to the pandemic’s restrictions on indoor dining and large-group gatherings. The brand had already been contracting — the DC Chinatown location had closed prior to the pandemic without advance notice to employees — and the lockdown period extinguished what remained.

The final US location associated with the La Tasca brand — a tapas restaurant in Arlington Heights, Illinois operating as La Tasca Tapas — closed at the end of February 2025 and converted to a Greek restaurant called Paréa Mediterranean Kitchen. That location was independently operated under the name and not part of the original La Tasca, Inc. entity that went bankrupt in 2020.

In the UK, La Tasca had already contracted to a single site by 2021, which was subsequently replaced by Tapas Revolution. The brand has no meaningful presence in any English-speaking market.

How Viva Rewards Worked (Historical Record)

For readers researching this program for historical or comparative purposes, here is what the program offered during its operational years.

Enrollment: Free, available in-restaurant and through digital channels. New members received a 25% discount on their next visit upon joining — a front-loaded welcome offer that made enrollment immediately worthwhile for anyone planning a return visit.

Ongoing benefits: Enrolled members received a 10% discount on food purchases on every subsequent visit. This was a flat discount structure rather than a points-accumulation model — simpler operationally, and more immediately legible to the customer than abstract point balances.

Newsletter and event access: The “News” in Viva News & Rewards was substantive. Members received a monthly newsletter covering promotions, seasonal menu launches, and special events. Member-exclusive event invitations — typically wine-focused dinners and flamenco nights — added experiential value beyond transactional discounts and suited the brand’s positioning as a social dining destination rather than a quick-service tapas stop.

Birthday recognition: Members received an annual birthday offer, a standard feature across casual dining loyalty programs of this generation.

How It Fit the Tapas Format

The flat 10% food discount was well-matched to tapas-style ordering behavior. A table ordering four or five shared plates runs a meaningfully higher check than a single-entree casual dining table — which meant the discount’s absolute dollar value was higher per visit than the equivalent percentage would have produced at a burger chain or pizza casual concept. Group occasions, where multiple people might share a single membership account or where the member picks up the tab, amplified this effect further.

The program’s event component also reflected an understanding of the La Tasca customer. A guest who books a tapas restaurant for a group dinner is not in the same purchase mindset as someone grabbing a quick lunch. Wine-pairing events and flamenco nights were relevant to that customer in a way that, say, a free dessert coupon would not have been.

Current Status: Nothing to Join, Nothing to Redeem

There is no active loyalty program to review. If you held Viva Rewards points or a membership at the time of the May 2020 closure, those points have no redemption value and no successor program accepted them. The company’s Chapter 7 filing means assets were liquidated to pay creditors — loyalty program liabilities to members are unsecured and would have received nothing in that process.

If you are looking for a loyalty program at a Spanish or tapas-style casual dining chain currently operating in the US, La Tasca is not an option. For comparable programs at operating chains, see our reviews of restaurant loyalty programs.

FAQ

Is La Tasca still open in the US? No. La Tasca, Inc. filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy in May 2020 and all corporate locations are permanently closed. An independently-operated La Tasca Tapas location in Arlington Heights, Illinois closed in February 2025 and reopened under a different name and concept.

Can I still use my Viva Rewards points? No. The program closed with the bankruptcy filing in May 2020. There is no way to redeem any remaining balance.

Is there a loyalty program at a replacement or successor concept? There is no official successor to La Tasca in the US market. The Arlington Heights location converted to Paréa Mediterranean Kitchen, an independent Greek restaurant with no loyalty program affiliation to the former La Tasca brand.

What was the Viva Rewards enrollment discount? New members received a 25% discount on their next visit upon joining.

Did Viva Rewards charge a fee? No. Enrollment was free.

Further Reading from Authoritative Sources

  • La Tasca — Wikipedia provides documented history of the La Tasca brand, its US operations, and closure — the primary factual context for this discontinued program review.
  • FTC consumer data guidance — FTC guidance on consumer data in bankruptcy contexts is relevant to members whose personal data was held by La Tasca at the time of its Chapter 7 liquidation.