After five decades in business, an iconic Seattle taco restaurant has closed following a family tragedy.
Taco Time on North 45th Street in the Wallingford neighborhood served its last burrito on Monday.
Franchise owner Lyla Hanna said she inherited the store from her grandfather after his death in September.
“There’s something sweet about knowing that she’ll die with him,” Hanna said. He told the king 5.
The neighborhood staple also failed to recover its customer base after the Covid-19 pandemic, so it was time to move on, he explained.
Taco Time on North 45th Street in the Wallingford neighborhood has closed
Since announcing the closure, Hanna said the restaurant has been inundated with locals desperate for one last taste of their favorite tacos and burritos at the “iconic” location.
“This is a special place for us. It’s a symbol we grew up with,” one customer told King 5.
“We are from this area. We are glad to have had one last chance to go to this place,” they added.
The closest Taco Time locations for locals will now be in Ballard at 2853 NW Market Street and in Interbay at 1140 Elliott Avenue West.
Vanishing Seattle, an Instagram page dedicated to Commemorating the closures as the city changesHe said “a couple of generations of Seattleites have fond memories of growing up eating at this Taco Time.”
‘The local franchise on 45th Street opened in 1974, and in 1990, owner Jon Hanna decided to tear down the building and replace it with one that would stand out from the other Taco Time locations,’ the post explained of the unique glass-walled building.
‘Over time, its retro-futuristic ’80s and ’90s glass cube design (whether you loved it or hated it) and massive cactus sign made it a neighborhood icon, earning it nicknames like Disco Taco Time, Blade Runner Taco Time and Taco Time Global Headquarters,’ the post said.
The chain had much-loved quirky features, such as a self-serve touch-screen Coke machine with 106 flavor combinations that customers could mix and match.
The restaurant was such a well-known corner of the community that in 2015 Historic Seattle proposed a landmark nomination for the building, “to raise awareness and appreciation for our fast food heritage” as an April Fool’s Day prank.
“This one hits really hard,” one local commented on Vanishing Seattle.
“This place was my childhood,” wrote another.
The store will be replaced by a Chipotle, Seattle Eater reports.
The first Taco Time Northwest location was opened in 1962 in White Center by Frank Tonkin Sr. Over the past 60 years, the chain has expanded to 77 locations in Western Washington.
This year, restaurants have been struggling more and more. Faced with rising costs, they have raised menu prices, but this has led to a drop in customers.
The customer rushed to get his last tacos and burritos before the restaurant closed.
Customers were informed of the closure via a sign posted on the door of the establishment.
Locals said they will miss the “iconic” place they grew up eating at
Larger chains like Applebee’s, TGI Fridays and Boston Market have recently closed restaurants, as have smaller chains like BurgerFi.
Red Lobster filed for bankruptcy in May and also closed nearly 100 restaurants.
Chains have been hardest hit in California, where the minimum wage for fast-food restaurants rose to $20 an hour starting April 1.
In early June, Mexican chain Rubio’s closed 48 branches in the state and also filed for bankruptcy.
Across the United States, family-owned businesses have also been closing.
Earlier this month, for example, Fargo’s Pit BBQ in Texas closed after more than two decades of serving brisket, ribs and other barbecue classics.