Taco Bell's 'Numero Uno' To Make A Run For Irvine Tonight
DOWNEY (CBSLA.com) — Taco Bell will be making a run Thursday night, but not for the border.
Known affectionately as "Numero Uno," Taco Bell's first-ever taco stand will move from the Downey location it has to the company's corporate headquarters in Irvine 45 miles away.
"This is arguably the most important restaurant in our company's history," Taco Bell Corp. CEO Brian Niccol said. "To think a business like ours that spans 6,000 restaurants around the globe started with a walk-up window no bigger than a two-car garage is truly inspirational. When we heard about the chance of it being demolished, we had to step in. We owe that to our fans, we owe that to (company founder) Glen Bell."
The stand at 7112 Firestone Blvd. opened in 1962, anchoring a "Mexican-inspired" center. Its opening marked a shift in the burger-dominated fast-food world. As Niccol said, the stand brought "Mexican-inspired food to the masses."
The eatery closed in 1986 as the chain grew with fancier locations outfitted with drive-thru windows. It reopened as a series of other restaurants but has been vacant since December.
The property was scheduled to be developed and "Numero Uno" razed, until a social media campaign prompted the conservation group We Are The Next to work with Taco Bell to arrange for the building to be moved.
The move will begin at 10:30 p.m. today. The 20-foot-by-20-foot building will be transported from Downey and into Norwalk, Cerritos, La Palma, Buena Park, Anaheim, Tustin and Orange before arriving in Irvine Friday morning.
Taco Bell executives will keep the building in storage at its corporate headquarters until they finalize rehabilitation and re-use plans.
The building will be transported along the following route tonight:
-- east from 7112 Firestone Blvd.;
-- south on Bloomfield Avenue;
-- east on Del Amo Boulevard and La Palma;
-- south on Tustin Avenue and South Tustin Street;
-- east on Chapman Avenue;
-- south on Jamboree Road;
-- east on Alton Parkway;
-- north on Gateway;
-- ending at 1 Glen Bell Way in Irvine
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