Used to eat here as a kid when it was a taco bell. I remember they always had a fire going in the pit. The new place kept a lot of the original seating setup, as well as the og firepit. And the ordering window is the same.
pretty cool. they also have good food there now.
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El Cajon Blvd! Hi neighbor!
These buildings need to make a comeback. As the new buildings suck so bad.
Definitely. Modern Taco Bell is so damn sterilized and depressing.
I agree.
That's because they won the fast food wars...
what if they diversified and opened smaller places "cantina" styled? might be interesting
They already have "Taco Bell Cantina" ... and they sell booze.
Exactly. Since the fire pit idea has caught on in years past. Why wouldn’t you? Entertain your guests. Make them want to go there and come back.
I remember seeing cigarette butts in the lava rock pit thingy. Circa 1970's . West Los Angeles area.
They'll never go back to these, sadly. Buildings are made for repurposing now. Once the Taco Bell is gone, it'll become a Wendy's and so on, and we keep eating there so they keep whittling away
i believe this is Taco Bell store #70, opened July 1, 1966 and closed in 1980 I'm pretty sure
Oh man we ate here so much! Wow trip down memory lane! Thank you!
I recall the fire pits active until the mid 70’s
im in my 60s and remember them into the late 70s, with some holdouts that still kept the fire going in the rings until around 81ish
Maybe up to the local operator
Former taco bell closed 1981 now El rodeo
Yeah say it on the pics.. eaten there both taco bell and as rodeo. Remember as a teen they had the fire going..