The First Ever Taco Bell Is Saved
Taco Bell is rescuing its very first location from demolition
The original, humble Taco Bell store—which started the company that gave the world Doritos Locos Tacos and Cheesy Gordita Crunches—is being saved from demolition. Taco Bell will relocate "Numero Uno" (as they call it), the small, mission-style location in Downey, California to corporate headquarters in Irvine tomorrow night, where it will go into storage until the team decides how to preserve this piece of fast food history.
Taco Bell founder Glen Bell opened the location for business back in 1962, but left it behind in 1986. Taco Bell executives first heard about the potential demolition earlier this year when the current property owners announced plans to redevelop the site. With the help of We Are the Next, a Long Beach-based preservation group, Taco Bell came up with an idea to save the landmark. Those plans will be put in motion Thursday night when the taco shack will be loaded onto truck and start a 45-mile journey to its new home.
The company has designated Taco Bell locations along the route where people can catch a glimpse of the store, which is scheduled to get to Irvine by Friday morning. There's even a webcam set up to livestream the whole trip. Taco Bell told the OC Register they will use social media to help decide what to do with the 400-square-foot building. We suggest making it a doghouse for the "Yo Quiero Taco Bell" chihuahua, but we'll leave it to the experts to decide.