# Civic Matters > Suburban & Other OK Communities > Norman >  When did Taco Cabana close??

## Soonerman

I was in Norman the other day and noticed Taco Cabana is no more, When did it shut down?

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## kevinpate

We had a Taco Cabana?

I keed, I keed.  I don't know when it closed.

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## bradh

As long as the one on N. May doesn't close, I'm cool.

Someone also mentioned Texadelphia in Norman closed.  That's surprising, I heard it was always busy.

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## Martin

it's been several years, hasn't it?  i thought that after taco cabana, it was a j.r.'s barbecue and even that has been closed for a few years now. -M

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## kevinpate

> it's been several years, hasn't it?  i thought that after taco cabana, it was a j.r.'s barbecue and even that has been closed for a few years now. -M


Nope.  JR's went in, and fell out, across the way, where the Krispy Kreme had gone in.  The Taco Cabana has, if memory serves, always been Taco Cabana, well, going back to 2003ish or before anyway.  I remember because when elder son was in 8th grade his Costa Rica summer trip group had a Q&A fund raising evening there.

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## Soonerman

> it's been several years, hasn't it?  i thought that after taco cabana, it was a j.r.'s barbecue and even that has been closed for a few years now. -M


Taco Cabana was next door in front of the Wal-Mart.

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## Martin

y'all are right... j.r.'s went in where krispy kreme was.  i just got the wrong struggling chain. -M

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## bluedogok

Krispy Kreme, another example of over expansion and debt issues. I think putting their doughnuts in gas stations damaged the brand because they were never as good as the real store and could reduce traffic at the store.

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## Roger S

> Nope.  JR's went in, and fell out, across the way, where the Krispy Kreme had gone in.  The Taco Cabana has, if memory serves, always been Taco Cabana, .....


Yep, Kevin is correct. That building was also briefly a Slim Chickens after JR's closed.

I noticed Cabana was closed on the 15th of June. So I'm guessing it was the week before that because I thought it was still open when I drove by it on the 8th of June.

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## macfoucin

Question: Why can't restaurants make it in that location?  It looks like right in frount of Wal-Mart would be a no brainer.

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## Geographer

IMO, that whole access road and interchange at main and 35 was just horrible to navigate....I wouldn't go out of my way in Norman to go get Taco Cabana at that location and I wouldn't try to get there from the interstate either, it's just awful...maybe that'll change with the new interchange construction.

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## kevinpate

> Question: Why can't restaurants make it in that location?  It looks like right in frount of Wal-Mart would be a no brainer.


Well .... 
Krispy Kreme (in general) had a lot of other issues with growth and debt I suppose.  Because when they started falling, they fell hard and fast.
J.R.'s .. i think just grew too fast and could not sustain.  It happens. To a lot of food concepts.  I have always liked J.R. the wrasslin' telebrity, going way back to the 80's. Nothing I heard about his Q ever prompted me to forego places I already knew I liked.
Taco Cabana .. I dunno what went wrong.  it was there for over a decade, even though that's not the sort of place Peeps of Walmart tend to go to see and be seen.
Slim Chicken ... never tried it myself.  Honest thought though .. the roastissire chickens in Walmart were not shabby, though I doubt that is hat did it.

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## seajohn

We used to go to TC fairly often, but the past couple of years, it was going downhill, mainly as far as their employees.  The appearance and cleanliness of the employees didn't give us a good feeling about our food, so we'd stopped going there.  I guess a lot of other people felt the same way.

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## Questor

Yep, horrible access over there. Then throw the fact that they've closed the Main Street exit down for the next two years and everything is all torn up over there and it's no wonder all the frontage is dying off now.

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## venture

> Yep, horrible access over there. Then throw the fact that they've closed the Main Street exit down for the next two years and everything is all torn up over there and it's no wonder all the frontage is dying off now.


Personally that part of the interstate drive is terrible anyways. The sharp curves mixed with several curb cuts/drives just doesn't equal a well designed area. I would personally rather see them take Interstate Drive straight back into Walmart, curve around on the south side of the existing lot and back out to rejoin the existing roadway by what was Taco Cabana.  

Of course something like that would probably require the Comfort Inn to be torn down (no major loss), and the need for Golden Corral, Waffle House, Hibdon, Travelodge and Century 21(?)  to have to reconfigure their parking lots to allow for access to come in from behind them.

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## kevinpate

E side interstate drive is not a jewel, but even with W Main mucked over for the bridge work, it's still an easier process than the west side interstate drive, especially if one is traveling north.

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## venture

> E side interstate drive is not a jewel, but even with W Main mucked over for the bridge work, it's still an easier process than the west side interstate drive, especially if one is traveling north.


I agree. Whoever designed that needs to be tarred and feathered. LOL

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## HangryHippo

Whatever happened with the debate over whether or not to make the service roads one way?

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## venture

> Whatever happened with the debate over whether or not to make the service roads one way?


Car dealerships probably killed it.  :Wink:

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## bluedogok

> Car dealerships probably killed it.


All retailers fear the switch from two-way to one-way frontage roads and fight it constantly. I remember when Broadway Extension was two-way until the repaving/widening project.

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## Gene

I thought it was cool when then opened. It was the only fast food joint where you'd get a taco dinner and can of beer. I can't remember exactly why I stopped going.

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## Monkeypony

nope taco cabana closed not long ago! i would say just a few months ago.. 
we used to eat there pretty regularly. the food was really good, much better than taco bell or taco mayo or taco bueno! better price too... more like homemade..
im very aorry they are no more, i would say the construction off main had something to do with this,.
the mgr was very nice fellow from India.

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## Mel

> I thought it was cool when then opened. It was the only fast food joint where you'd get a taco dinner and can of beer. I can't remember exactly why I stopped going.


Prolly the taste of the food.

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## Soonerman

Doesn't Norman have a Taco Casa now?? They have some good food.

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## Roger S

> Doesn't Norman have a Taco Casa now?? They have some good food.


Yes they do.

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## kevinpate

> Doesn't Norman have a Taco Casa now?? They have some good food.



More tasty than I expected.  Made me happy.

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## mattjank

As I was entering I-35 from the newly opened Main Street interchange this morning, I noticed the boards were off the windows on the old TC building and the old Krispy Kreme/JR's building and there were crews working at both buildings. Anyone know what is happening?

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## choosegreen

> As I was entering I-35 from the newly opened Main Street interchange this morning, I noticed the boards were off the windows on the old TC building and the old Krispy Kreme/JR's building and there were crews working at both buildings. Anyone know what is happening?


I'm wondering the same.  The properties sold in March for a little over $1M each.  There is a $2M mortgage that includes both properties.  I prepare CRE comps and needed to get an idea of what was going on so I went to the property today.  The guy that was gutting the inside of the fmr Taco Cabana said it was going to be office. But, I have no idea if he knew for sure.  Mike Donahue of the now closed Big Red Sports & Imports was the buyer.  The fmr Slim Chickens bldg is gutted and appears as if it's ready to be razed.

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## Roger S

I'm not at liberty to explain how or why I know what it is going to be but don't be surprised if it is a used car dealership.

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## Roger S

> .....  The guy that was gutting the inside of the fmr Taco Cabana said it was going to be office. But, I have no idea if he knew for sure.  Mike Donahue of the now closed Big Red Sports & Imports was the buyer.  The fmr Slim Chickens bldg is gutted and appears as if it's ready to be razed.


Yep

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## mattjank

> I'm not at liberty to explain how or why I know what it is going to be but don't be surprised if it is a used car dealership.


Just what that side needs; another car dealership. At least they didn't go through the process of making that frontage road more accessible in the Main Street redo.

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## Roger S

> Just what that side needs; another car dealership. At least they didn't go through the process of making that frontage road more accessible in the Main Street redo.


That's kind of what I thought too.

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## sprdthewrd

About 6 months ago

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## macfoucin

2014-10-27 16.28.09.jpg
Not sure if the pic will come through since I'm posting from my phone...  
They have started work on this site and there is a sign that says future home of Express Credit Auto.  Exactly what Norman needed! ;-)

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## kevinpate

Oh well, that site was originally built to aid in the distribution of gas powered items.  Somehow, an auto dealer there now just seems appropriate.

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## Mel

So how many miles of cars is Norman up to now?

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## venture

What a terrible waste of that space.

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## Robert_M

Not for sure what I saw as I was driving by but it looked like the Taco Cabana site had a Fazoli's sign out in front of it with the Express Credit sign where the Krispy Kreme use to be.  Anybody else see this?

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## Tritone

I saw the Express sign Sunday but cannot remember on which bldg.  I was busy avoiding a wildly careening SUV.

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## macfoucin

No Fazoli's (thank goodness) it's just another Express Credit Auto sign although both are equally lame.

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## josh

I'm quite familiar with Taco Cabana as they started in and are based out of San Antonio. All I can tell you from my experience is... the farther away from San Antonio you get, the worse the quality gets. Not sure why, just how it is. 

I have family in Dallas who come into town and rave about Taco Cabana because the ones in Dallas suck. What's funny is how local San Antonians think TCs is subpar texmex. Our mom and pop texmex places are outstanding. Our hole in the wall texmex places are even more outstanding.

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## Robert_M

I will go by there later today and get a picture of both signs. I know the express credit one has a rendering on it as well.

Edit: After going by to specifically look it definitely says Express Credit. I guess just glancing by it mistook it for Fazoli's logo.

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