The fast-casual U.S. Taco Co. and Urban Taproom concept at its Huntington Beach, California will close Thursday as it failed to garner much foot traffic.
Taco Bell parent Yum Brands Inc. developed the restaurant which was open for a little more than a year before having to close its doors. The restaurant also faced challenges obtaining a permanent alcohol permit aside from poor sales, Food Beast reported.
The beach community cracked down on use of alcohol at restaurants and bars on the city's Strand after an incontrollable crowd triggered a rumpus during the U.S. Open of Surfing in 2013 - just few months down before U.S. Taco Co. was scheduled to open - NRN informed.
Among the most notable menu items introduced at U.S. Taco Co was the Winner Winner Chicken Dinner -- a taco with fried chicken and a spicy gravy.
"U.S. Taco Co. remains a fantastic concept, and was very successful as a place to experiment and learn," Taco Bell CEO Brian Niccol said, hinting they might try the concept again elsewhere. "From the food to the design, and the service experience and open kitchen layout, we're incorporating that thinking into other future concepts."
Meanwhile, the company is now focusing on growing the new urban Taco Bell Cantina concept which is scheduled to open on Sept. 22 in Chicago's Wicker Park Neighborhood. A second branch is scheduled to open in San Francisco this month.
U.S. Taco Co. offered simple lineup of premium tacos based on American regional flavors which included dished like "Winner Winner" - along with Southern-style friend chicken breast with South of the Border gravy, roasted corn pico de gallo with fresh cilantro in a flour tortilla and garden-fresh jalapenos.
The company parent Yum Brands Inc. has also experimented with other attempts at fast-casual concepts which included the KFC Eleven brand, which it closed in April; Super Chix, which was spun off in August; and Vietnamese-inspired Banh Shop in Dallas.
