Taco Bell rival closes permanently after 50 years — as customers cry, ‘this one hits hard’

A POPULAR fast food restaurant and rival to Taco Bell has closed the doors of a longtime location.

The chain confirmed the closure earlier this month and cited several reasons for the decision.

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Taco Time in the Wallingford neighborhood — about five miles north of downtown Seattle — last served customers in the area on Monday, according to the NBC affiliate KING.

A sign posted on the door outside welcomed customers to inform them of the news.

“Wallingford Taco Time will permanently close its doors on July 15, 2024,” it read.

“We would like to thank you for your continued support of Taco Time. It has been a pleasure to serve the Wallingford community for many years.”

Lyla Hanna, the store’s franchisee, said she chose to close her doors after the death of her grandfather in September, who passed the business on to her, among other reasons.

“There’s something sweet about knowing that it will die with him,” Hanna told KING this week.

PANDEMIC CHALLENGES

Hanna explained that the Taco Time store has struggled since the 2020 coronavirus pandemic hit the area hard.

It never recovered the customer base it had before the pandemic, which led to some financial difficulties and a difficult choice, according to Hanna.

Still, the Taco Time store closing announcement saw a significant increase in the number of people coming in in the weeks leading up to the closure of some of their favorite menu items.

An unidentified customer said the location was a “special place” for them who grew up in Seattle.

Wallingford neighborhood Taco Time was opened in 1974 by Jon Hanna, according to a publish in Seattle’s disappearancean Instagram page that chronicles the city’s changes over the years.

ICONIC CONSTRUCTION

Hanna, Lyla’s grandfather, demolished the building where Taco Time was housed later in 1990 to rebuild it and make it different from other Taco Time locations in the surrounding area.

It was rebuilt with its notable “retro-futuristic glass cube design” and caught the attention of customers, along with a huge “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, according to the Vanishing Seattle post.

Restaurant Closings in 2024

BOSSes of major restaurant chains have announced a series of restaurant closures. The US Sun has compiled a list of those affected by the network.

• Biscuit Barrel: Stores in Medford, Oregon, Columbia, South Carolina and Sacramento, California, closed.
• Mod Pizza: Bosses dramatically closed 27 stores in April, including some in the state of California.
• Frisch’s Big Boy: Restaurant bosses confirmed the closure of a restaurant in Covington, Kentucky, in April.
• Outback Steakhouse: The chain will close 41 “underperforming” locations this year.
• Two dolars: Four restaurants in Ohio closed in April.
• Pepper: A restaurant in Port Arthur, Texas, has closed permanently, as has another in Irvine, California.
• Friendly: Bosses have confirmed that an establishment in Ronkonkoma, Long Island, will close.
• Pizza Hut: A restaurant in Glen Falls, New York, closed in late March, followed by four in Ohio in June and 15 in Indiana.
• Danny: Two restaurants in Boise and Nampa, Idaho, have closed.
• Carl’s Jr.: The first location in Boise, Idaho, has closed.
• In and out: A location in Oakland closed earlier this year due to crime in the area.
• cheesecake factory: The chain is expected to close a location in Memphis, Tennessee, in July.
• Applebee’s: Announced the closure of between 25 and 35 locations this year.
• Taco John’s: He closed a restaurant in Minnesota and put the building up for sale in May.
• Rubio’s Coastal Grill: Announced the closure of 48 locations in California after filing for bankruptcy.
• Burger King: It closed a California location in June after 30 years.

“This one really hits home,” 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

Wallingford location will be replaced by Chipotle, 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.

Chili’s rival also closed a popular spot after 27 years earlier this month, much to the dismay of Massachusetts diners.

Detroit customers also saw the loss of 18 locations of a fast food chain founded in 2012 that already had more than 50 locations.