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Taco Bell rival permanently closes location after 50 years – as customers cry, ‘this one hits hard’
The chain opened in 1974 before undergoing unique rennovations
A POPULAR fast food restaurant and rival to Taco Bell has shuttered the doors of a longtime location.
The chain confirmed the closure earlier this month and cited several reasons behind the decision.
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The Taco Time in the Wallingford neighborhood — about five miles north of downtown Seattle — served customers in the area for the last time on Monday, per NBC affiliate KING.
A sign posted on the door outside met customers to inform them of the news.
"Wallingford Taco Time will be permanently closing its doors on July 15th, 2024," it read.
"We would like to thank you for your continued support of Taco Time, it has been a pleasure serving the community of Wallingford for many years."
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Lyla Hanna, the franchise owner of the store, said she chose to shut its doors after the death of her grandfather in September who passed the business down to her, among other reasons.
"There's something sweet in knowing it will die with him," Hanna told KING this week.
PANDEMIC WOES
Hanna explained that the Taco Time store has been struggling since the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 hit the area hard.
It never got the customer base it had pre-pandemic back again, leading to some financial struggles and a tough choice, according to Hanna.
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Even so, the closure announcement from the Taco Time store saw a significant spike in people coming in for the weeks leading up to the shutdown for some of their favorite menu items.
An unnamed customer said the location was a "special place" for them growing up in Seattle.
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The Wallingford neighborhood Taco Time was opened back in 1974 by Jon Hanna, according to a post from Vanishing Seattle, an Instagram page that chronicles the city's changes over the years.
ICONIC BUILD
Hanna, Lyla's grandfather, tore down the building the Taco Time was housed in later on in 1990 to rebuild it and make it different than other Taco Time locations in the surrounding area.
It was rebuilt with its notable "retro-futuristic glass cubed design" and caught the eye of customers, along with a massive "cactus sign" advertising it out front.
Customers in the area began calling the store nicknames like Disco Taco Time, Blade Runner Taco Time, and others due to the design change, per Vanishing Seattle's post.
Restaurant closures in 2024
BOSSES at major dining chains have announced a series of restaurant closures. The U.S. Sun has compiled a list of the chain's affected.
- Cracker Barrel: Stores in Medford, Oregon, Columbia, South Carolina, and Sacramento, California, have closed.
- Mod Pizza: Bosses dramatically shuttered 27 shops in April, including some in the state of California.
- Frisch's Big Boy: Restaurant chiefs confirmed the closure of a restaurant in Covington, Kentucky in April.
- Outback Steakhouse: The chain will shutter 41 'underperforming' locations this year.
- Two Bucks: Four restaurants in Ohio closed in April.
- Chili's: A restaurant in Port Arthur, Texas, has shut permanently as well as one in Irvine, California.
- Friendly's: Bosses confirmed an establishment in Ronkonkoma, Long Island will close.
- Pizza Hut: A restaurant in Glen Falls, New York, closed at the end of March, followed by four in Ohio in June and 15 in Indiana.
- Denny's: Two restaurants in Boise and Nampa, Idaho, have closed.
- Carl's Jr.: The first Boise, Idaho location has closed.
- In-N-Out: An Oakland location closed earlier in the year due to crime in the area.
- Cheesecake Factory: The chain is set to shutter a location in Memphis, Tennessee in July.
- Applebee's: Announced the closure of between 25 and 35 locations this year.
- Taco John's: Shuttered a restaurant in Minnesota and put the building up for sale in May.
- Rubio's Coastal Grill: Has announced the closure of 48 locations in California after filing for bankruptcy.
- Burger King: Shuttered a location in California in June after 30 years.
"This one really hits hard," someone commented on the post.
Several other Taco Time locations remain open in Seattle for those looking to get their favorite tacos and burritos elsewhere.
NOT ALONE
The Wallingford location is set to be replaced by Chipotle, the Seattle Eater reported.
Taco Time is one of several prominent restaurant chains to announce closures this year for a variety of reasons.
Red Lobster, for example, filed for bankruptcy in May and listed plans to close at least 100 locations nationwide.
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A Chili's rival also closed a popular location after 27 years earlier this month to the dismay of Massachusetts customers.
Detroit customers also saw the loss of 18 locations of a fast food chain founded in 2012 that once had over 50 spots.