A piece of Californian fast-food history has vanished from the landscape. The distinctive Taco Bell restaurant on Mount Diablo Boulevard in Lafayette, celebrated for its rare Mission Revival design, served its last burrito and permanently closed its doors this week.
An Architectural Relic and Community Staple
This particular outlet first opened in 1968, becoming an instant local favourite. In its early days, it offered tacos for just 19 cents and burritos for 75 cents, providing affordable meals for generations of residents. Its significance extended beyond the menu; it was one of the last remaining sites in the franchise to retain the original mission-style architecture, a design now exceedingly rare among the chain's 8,000-plus global locations.
The Mission Revival style, popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, features hallmark elements like stucco walls, arched windows, and clay tile roofing. Experts believe only six Taco Bells with this original design now remain. The closure severs a tangible link to the chain's early history, which began when founder and WWII veteran Glen Bell opened the first Taco Bell in Downey in 1962.
Fond Farewells and Local Legends
News of the impending closure had circulated for months, prompting a wave of nostalgic visits from locals eager for one final taste and a moment of reminiscence. Patrons took to social media to share memories of after-school hangs, late-night snacks, and the unique, human experience of ordering inside the small, 400-square-foot building that lacked a drive-through.
The Lafayette Historic Society declared the shutdown "the end of an era," noting it was tied to a famous local urban legend. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the restaurant was the target of the "Great Taco Bell Bell Heist," where daring high school students would attempt to climb the building and steal the iconic bell from its roof. The bell was snatched so frequently that it was eventually replaced with a neon sign, and later, a plastic, illuminated version deemed "unstealable."
Preserving Fast-Food Heritage
The fate of the Lafayette building remains uncertain, but its story echoes that of the very first Taco Bell in Downey. That building, though closed in 1986, was saved from demolition. In 2015, it was carefully moved 45 miles to the company's headquarters in Irvine, where it was preserved. Nicknamed 'Numero Uno,' this act set a precedent for valuing the chain's architectural heritage.
For the community in Lafayette, the closure represents more than the loss of a restaurant. It is the disappearance of a background fixture of local life, a unique architectural artefact, and a venue for countless personal stories and a legendary teenage rite of passage.
