Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

I've never been to a Del Taco, and had it in my mind that I would try this one someday. In the event, as happens all too often, I did not get around to it before it closed. The place has already been completely gutted, and is in the process of setting up to be a Taco Bell (which I will almost certainly not be visiting). The building was actually fairly new, with Del Taco being a completely new build after the Clear View Car Wash building was razed in 2014.

I see from Wikipedia, that Jack In The Box bought Del Taco, finalizing in March of this year. My guess is that closing this location probably has something to do with JITB's strategy for the chain.

(Hat tip to commenter Heath)

UPDATE 26 January 2023 -- Taco Bell is now open in this spot:

I've done two closings for Eric's San Jose, one at the infamous 2630 Decker building, and one in 2016 for the immediate predecessor to this location on the far side of Target from this building.

Aside from Eric's, this building has also housed, at least, Moe's Grapevine, and Rooftop Piza Pub.

I believe I have been to this operation twice, once in the old location, and once at this one. I thought it was fine, but no better than Casa Linda which is closer to me, and the menu seemed pretty small. I think I went there a third time when I expected it to be open and found it closed, and got it in my mind that the hours were a bit odd. I haven't seen any official reason for the closing, and I don't see a web site or facebook page, but I know the nearby Lizard's Thicket was having staffing issues, so it's possible that played a part here as well.

We'll have to see what is next for this building. Since it won't be a Lizard's, and it's already been a Mexican restaurant, perhaps an Asian buffett?

(Hat tip to commenter MB)

UPDATE 15 August 2024 -- Now Alley Street Eats:

I had noticed El Paso from time to time driving this stretch of US-1, mostly because it had some nice neon (which you can see here), and wondered about it as it was not one of the prevalent Mexican chains in the area, but never got around to trying it out. Now, as noted by commenter James R, it has rebranded as one of the "usual" local chains: San Jose.

The last google reviews are dated with the vague "three months ago", so I'm guessing the switch would have been around the New Year.

(Hat tip to commenter James R)

UPDATE 10 March 2022: Adding "Reflections Event Venue" to the post title as the comments indicate that was the incarnation previous to El Paso.

This suite in The Addesso has held a number restaurants, not all of which I have tracked, but the most recent was Bruno’s Taqueria. According to their Facebook they closed at 5pm on Christmas Eve of 2021.

Unfortunately, I didn't have any convenient parking, so all I have are these long shots. We'll have to see what happens here next.

(Hat tip to commenter Sidney)

I wonder if Barberitos is struggling? As I noted here and here, both Midlands locations of the chain closed some time ago. Personally I liked this Fernandina Beach location better than either of those as it had ground beef as a topping which for some odd reason the SC locations did not (ground turkey is *not* the same thing). My only issue here (as with all locations) is that the chips were so fragile you couldn't really dip with them.

There was also a location a bit further up A1A towards Yulee FL, which also seems to have vanished in the same time-frame as this one. My guess is they were the same franchaise, which according to some google reviews was new ownership after the initial pandemic closure.

I have put 1519 for the street address here as both google & yelp agree on it and it is on the front door. However the actual number painted on the glass on the west side is 1515 for some reason, as you can see.

Now Cabanas Restaurante with Honduran & Mexican dishes:

Cabanas was the follow-on in this longtime restaurant storefront to La Poblanita, and opened in 2016. I'm not absolutely sure there wasn't another restaurant in between Cabanas and the new tenant, but anyway, as of now this space is occupied by Tacos Locos.

I never got around to eating at this little Mexican place in Seven Oaks Shopping Center as it was really just too far away to be on my radar. Looking at their Facebook, there is a nice little closing note which cites the challenging times and leaves some hope for a phase two sometime in the future.

UPDATE 27 June 2022: Setting up to be By The Fire Pizza: