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Taco Bell
Today we explore this abandoned Taco Bell that closed in 2015!! There are reports that the Taco Bell was forced to close due to repeated health violations although I was not able to confirm or deny this. Since then there was also an online petition to bring Taco Bell back to the community which had received a whopping 289 signatures but there has still not been a replacement in the area. This Taco Bell along with the restaurant next door and a small adjacent plaza were demolished just recently, I suspect that condos will be built in the empty lot at some point in the near future!!
Let's start from the beginning, from what I have heard there used to be a Beaver Lumber at this corner intersection which closed down and was demolished in 1984.
I'm not sure when the plaza and the two restaurants were built but the has a very 80s or 90s architectural style to it, so I would guess not long after the Beaver Lumber was built.
According to a Hamilton Spectator article from 2013 the first Lick's opened as an Ice Cream parlour in Downtown Oakville, which is interesting since this former Lick's which I visited was also in Oakville, just in a different location. In 1984 the store was becoming a chain with many more restaurants opening between then and 2009 and at its peak, Lick's Homeburgers had 30 locations throughout Southern Ontario. The company began to suffer after the 2008 financial crisis at the same time receiving growing competition from gourmet burger chains such as The Works. In the 2000s they also switched from serving fresh burgers to a more generic frozen style burger that can still be found in stores today. Several stores began closing starting in 2012 and by 2017 there were only two locations remaining, on in Parry Sound and another in Toronto. I looked at some of the reviews from these Lick's restaurants and they were not by any mean s favourable, receiving an average of 2.5/5 stars. My own experience having eaten at the Parry Sound location as recently as a year or two ago is not dissimilar to this. After this Lick's location closed down sometime between 2011 and 2014 it became another chain restaurant known as Hwy 55 Burgers Shakes & Fries, this is an American owned chain restaurant and operated until May of 2016. Then in July of 2016 Gazebo Burgers & Grill opened, it's weird because looking through their Facebook page it seems as thought when they first opened they had the same design as the former restaurant but with different branding and a slightly different menu. I am not sure if Gazebo bought all of the decor and furniture from the Hwy 55 owner when they opened or if it was the same owner the whole time. The restaurant had a 1950s theme with pink and teal colours and 50's decor throughout! Then in October 2019 they reopened the restaurant with a slightly updated look, going for a slightly more modern look (as seen in the photos) mixed with the same 50s decor from before. On November 1st the restaurant closed down with plans to reopen at a later date.
At the end of June 2021 the plaza, the Taco Bell and Gazebo buildings were torn down to allow for road widening at the intersection.
If you are interested, you can see what Gazebo Burgers & Grill used to look like on their Facebook page:
/ gazeboburgers
Also, don't forget to check out the bloopers at the end of the video!!
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Intro music:
Michett - Flatline
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Other music:
Hackerblinks - Eighth
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