Why Seattle lost its mind over the Wallingford Taco Time closure

When I asked Warnick how she would describe what Taco Time means, she said “I don’t even know how to start.” Then she told me that once she was in a touring band with musicians who weren’t from the Northwest, and an argument ensued about whether to eat at Taco Time or Taco Bell. 

“If you’re from Seattle,” Warnick said, “this is not something you have a debate about. I just decided that if I had to explain it to them, it wasn’t worth trying to come up with the words. If you’re from Seattle, you understand what Taco Time is, and, more importantly, you understand what Taco Bell isn’t.”

Taco Bell is not to be confused with Taco Time by anyone who has spent more than a year living in Seattle. Taco Bell has over 15,000 locations around the globe, and their food is cheap and uses heavily processed ingredients. The chain is known for wrapping some of their fried foods in even more cheesy fried foods. It’s enough to have inspired a Saturday Night Live parody “Taco Town,” which shows a taco wrapped in a burrito, wrapped in a pizza (true Northwesterners will also note this skit was inspired by an earlier Almost Live bit called “Big Billy’s”). 

A dietician in Parade magazine last year called out Taco Bell for its “grilled steak cheese burrito,” which has 730 calories and 38 grams of fat. Taco Time, in contrast, includes healthy options (maybe not the Mexi-Fries).

Warnick, who had eaten at the Wallingford Taco Time often, said she was sad to see it go, but in typical Seattle style, she was already worried about another Taco Time she’d heard is due to be plowed under in West Seattle, where she presently lives. “I finally move to an apartment that is a block away from a Taco Time — I practically live on top of it, which is great — and now with the light-rail expansion may make that go away. There is no justice.” (Light rail is slated to open in West Seattle in 2032, but construction could affect Taco Time and other businesses well before then.)