Taco Bell Harper/ Whittier

[rb336]

When I was in line at a KFC on the Eastside a couple of years ago the woman who was making the fries ran out of the store when one of her acrylic nails fell in the grease. When the boss came out and asked where she went one of the customers said "Her nail fell in the grease I guess she went next door to the nail place to get a new one." When the boss said "Who ordered the fries?" Everyone in line said "not me." Ok granted the food might be bad and the service worse at fast food places but the entertainment you get is priceless. Example: I was in a Burger King when a guy asked for a Big Mac...the woman behind the counter put her hand on her hip and said "Fool this ain't McDonald's" the guy said "Damn" and ran out. Where's the camera when you need one?

I remember many years ago, it was against health department code to have artificial nails

[Alley]

The last time I went to the TB on Whittier, they were out of 'meat' and chicken
From GPP, it was always definitely worth the drive to 8 Mile/Harper if you found yourself craving some Toxic Hell

[CLAUDE G]

I just talked to a friend of mine who manages a Mc Donalds.

Apparently there is a clause in the franchise agreement that says that every 10 years the store must be remodeled, or torn down and rebuilt.

As far as food quality, the Mc Donalds at 7 and Van Dyke does a pretty good job, and I think is run better than some of the stores in the suburbs.

[pgn421]

What is going up on Gratiot and French rd? Tim Hortons?

[Zacha341]

I detest germ/ grit harboring artificial nails around food. Impossible to keep clean, even with very good hand washing. I was with a friend at a nail salon while she was getting them and I was making small talk with the nail tech about having some added to my nails [[something I've never done) and he was like 'No, you keep your natural nails - it's better!'.

What? Even the nail place knows those fake nail things are not good. Problems with the nail bed always happen over time and yes there was a time when you could not have them in food service or in hospitals... They are nasty.

I remember many years ago, it was against health department code to have artificial nails

[Detroitej72]

I doubt it.

I don't think they would take down the sign if that were the case, and would put up a "closed for remodeling" sign.

Not necessarily. The McDonald's at 15 Mile and Van Dyke has been torn down with the signs, and they are rebuilding it.

I wouldn't be surprised if this Taco Bell is just rebuilt. It was very busy every time I went there, especially late at night.

[GPCharles]

Anyone remember the Jack in the Box on Mack Ave. in Grosse Pointe Woods? It became a bank building and is now vacant.

[Zacha341]

Then that one up on West Grand Blvd, New Center next the Lodge is well over due. It's sort of a pit... but I don't go in anyway. If I want their coffee I do the drive-thru.

Apparently there is a clause in the franchise agreement that says that every 10 years the store must be remodeled, or torn down and rebuilt.

[Wesley Mouch]

I remember the tacobell in Warren at 8 and Ryan being a total dump a few years back, and then all of the sudden, they demolished the place, and put up a brand new one. Now the place is on jam day and night, and a large portion of their business is Detroit residents.

I've been bitching for years about how chain stores multiplty and upgrade their facilities and services in the burbs while leaving their Detroit stores to rot. They don't want the added expense of dealing with the urban issues, but have no problem expecting urbanites to travel several miles to patronize one of their stores. Or hiring Detroiters to work there for minimum wage, then replace them with another low wage earning detroiter as soon as the bus taking the soon-to-be-fired to work is late.

Tacobell has been one of the longstanding top 3 offenders on my list. The one off of Harper can't get a persons order right if you gave them all day, and I wouldn't let my dog eat the crap coming out of the franchise on fort.

Deep breath, rant over.


WOOH I feel like sending them another nastygram.

Not much point in sending a nastygram -- although I'm sure its fun.

These joints are almost universally 'franchise' operations -- so these are really small businesses. In the Detroit, franchises have often been granted to favored owners based on pressure. Franchises live or die on the strength of their owners. I also frequented the Mack/Chrysler McD for years. Their management team was top notch.

[milt721]

Anyone remember the Jack in the Box on Mack Ave. in Grosse Pointe Woods? It became a bank building and is now vacant.

I do! But I was just a wee lad and never actually ate there.

[GPCharles]

Nothing quite like a Breakfast Jack at 2:30 a.m.

[poobert]

I don't eat fast food at all [[other than pizza if that counts), but at least in recent years I know of plenty of fast food places in the city that people I know prefer to eat at. I don't think it is necessarily a city/suburbs thing.
In fact that Taco Bell was a favorite with my neighbors. The only thing any of us can say for certain is that it disappeared in a hurry, not whether it was due to quality or renovation or anything. Other than that McDonalds, which is supposed to be putrid, all the fast food places on Harper between Whittier and Cadieux are supposed to be pretty good.

[Wesley Mouch]

Nothing quite like a Breakfast Jack at 2:30 a.m.

You can get two tacos for 99c even today. And they are yummy and greasy! [[Don't worry, they're not organic.)

[mtburb]

Yea, seems like they are rebuilding the "Golden Arches" across the country because they have the same exact design going up here in Arlington, VA.

The same can be said for suburban Detroit because I used the drive-thru of a McDonald's near the soon-to-dissapear Lincoln Park Shopping Center that was rebuilt into that design while returning from the Henry Ford Museum on Tuesday. Here's what it looked like before and here it is now:

I don't think they would take down the sign if that were the case, and would put up a "closed for remodeling" sign.

Well, speaking of that, the Dunkin Donuts here in Wyandotte on Eureka has gotten both an exterior and interior facelift sometime last year even though the building wasn't torn down because it's in a strip mall. Here's what it looked like before. The newspaper boxes were also moved.

It looks like that the Harper and Whittier Taco Bell is of a design that was used back in the 1970's when the chain really took off. There is a former Taco Bell on Eureka and James Street in Southgate that is also of this design [[it's now a Middle Eastern restaurant).

[p69rrh51]

I do! But I was just a wee lad and never actually ate there.

Yes used to swim for a team that used Parcells' pool went across the street after practice for Tacos they were pretty good.

[detroitsgwenivere]

Not much point in sending a nastygram -- although I'm sure its fun.

Yeah, I know...

But I can't help it. When Tacobell on Gratiot looks like 1974 and the 14mile and john r store looks like the Taj Mahal, it just pisses me off.