Mini Run For The Border

Just when I thought I’d seen everything wacky in San Diego Dept.…

Near San Diego State University exists a miniature Taco Bell, as seen above. Yesterday I had to see this one for myself. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I’m so glad I made the short trek to see it, as these days, some moron will eventually spray paint it or vandalize it. As to the backstory, I found this on Roadside America website:

Faithful reproduction of the Mission-style first Taco Bell in San Diego, which stood from 1965 to 2008. This mini-version is across from a new Taco Bell's drive-thru. This miniature Taco Bell appears to be a utility box of some sort, faithfully decorated to commemorate the first Taco Bell in San Diego. It's adjacent to the drive-thru of the more recently remodeled Taco Bell that still stands at the corner of College and University Avenues. San Diego's original Taco Bell was built in 1965 and stood for over 40 years.



This little plaque gives a thanks to Glen and Marty Bell:



Turns out Glen Bell is the Taco Bell founder and Marty was his second wife. Edited from his obituary on newspapers.com:


Glen W. Bell Jr., the innovator and entrepreneur who tapped an unsated hunger for Mexican fare as Americans discovered fast food, creating Taco Tia, El Taco and in 1962 his signature Taco Bell, has died. He was 86. “We changed the eating habits of an entire nation,” Bell said in his 1999 biography, “Taco Titan: The Glen Bell Story.” When post-World War II Americans began to realize they could no longer survive without cheaply purchased, quickly delivered hamburgers, the Southern California born-and-bred Bell looked for another simple staple for the masses. He chose the taco, which he first sold in 1951 for 19 cents each at a drive-in in San Bernardino. Eventually, Bell coaxed multiethnic palates across the country into salivating for his tacos and later additions of burritos, tostadas, frijoles and chili burgers. PepsiCo purchased Taco Bell in 1978 for $125 million and eventually spun off its restaurants into Tricon Global Restaurants Inc., now known as Yum Brands. Taco Bell serves more than 36 million customers each week in more than 5,600 U.S. locations. Over the decades, Bell developed what he called his “recipes for success” -- some 60 homilies outlined in his biography. His first three rules were the formula for his restaurant chains: * You build a business one customer at a time; * Find the right product, then find a way to mass-produce it; * An innovative product will set you apart. “I’m an entrepreneur, not an administrator,” he said. “Taco Bell prospered because I recognized my limitations, hired professional managers to make up for them, and knew when to let go.”



If only this thing lit up at night…



The details are mind blowing. Somebody spent some time on this thing:





For a sense of scale, you can see the existing restaurant behind it, which was doing a steady business while I was there:



I’ve never been a big Taco Bell diner; I’d like to say I have fond memories of eating there, but the majority of times I was drunk and it was 3am. Yes, back in my college era. I think the last time I ate there was with Little Miss Sunshine back in 1994.

On the way home, I passed the Tower Bar in City Heights. What an interesting piece of architecture. Art Deco meets Andy Warhol.





…and this Rodney Dangerfield mural:



It pays to get off the couch and explore!
 
See more San Diego photos at my main website.