El Toro Mexican Grill, 806 Saint Andrews Road: Thanksgiving 2012 6 comments
This spot on Saint Andrews Road just east of the I-26 interchange has been much restauranted over the years as you can see here, here, here and here.
In general my theory is that it's too hard to get back to I-26 from this spot, or indeed to do anything requiring coming out of the parking lot and going westbound on Saint Andrews Road. In this case though, there may have been other factors in play as sadly a security guard was shot and killed here on 25 August 2012 as detailed in this State story. While it appears the culprits were caught, that incident certainly has to have given people pause. And while it appears to have been related to a late-night switchover to night-club operation, still I would have hesitated to go myself after that even during the day. I certainly would not have taken any kids.
At any rate, the place seems to have kept on until Thanksgiving at which time they closed down, and did not re-open as planned. Curiously letters are already peeling from the roadside sign, and missing from the rooftop marquee.
UPDATE 27 Jan 2013: Added the bouncy-castle picture of the Grand Opening.
UPDATE 26 January 2023 -- Interesting this update is almost exactly ten years since the last one! Anyway, as reported in the comments, this building has been razed:
Also adding map icon.
UPDATE 8 February 2023 -- I got some more pictures from inside the parking lot this time:
6 Responses to 'El Toro Mexican Grill, 806 Saint Andrews Road: Thanksgiving 2012'
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Andrew
5 Jan 13 at 8:10 pm
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This place was awful. Went there once because it was close to work and some of the other guys went (to flirt with the wait chicks) but the food was bad.
Gina
6 Jan 13 at 1:51 pm
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Met some friends for lunch one day many months ago, and the bullet hole in the front door was more off-putting than the bad food.
Jason
6 Jan 13 at 7:31 pm
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They really should raze this place and not let anyone build there, for whatever reason nothing can seem to make it. As mentioned above, several restaurants have come in, spent lots of money on renovations and then closed up without fanfare or much notice.
ED
10 Jan 13 at 9:32 pm
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This property is for sale and the sign specifically reads "no lease"
Andrew
19 Feb 13 at 2:16 pm
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We tried this place shortly after it opened. I think it was on a Friday night and it was apparently going to transition into "full night club mode" soon after sunset.
We felt uncomfortable with my young son, ate the below average food quickly, and left. I can't belive it made it as long as it did...
Heath
2 Mar 13 at 1:01 am
This was what became after Fast Tracks BBQ got bought out of their lease. They had a Facebook page, YouTube channel and their own site. They even did a 'Half off Friday' at B106.7. I could tell they were working to get themselves established based on those facts yet the landlord, in all their infinite wisdom, decided to buy them out of their lease. So this came and now has gone...
I think this building would work best when something with name recognition moves in (i.e Chick-Fil-A, Cookout, Jack in the Box...). Either that or it should become like a doctor's office.