The Old School Fast Food Chain That Taco Bell Ran Out Of Business

When Taco Bell opened in 1962, it may have been the nation's first Mexican-ish fast food chain (albeit one that likely owed its success to an idea stolen from Mexican Americans). It didn't remain so for long, however, as it was soon joined by imitators including Del Taco (founded in 1964) and Taco John's (opened in 1969). Both of these competitors are still in existence, even though Taco Bell continues to dominate the market. A third taco chain, however, is long gone. Pup 'n' Taco opened its first location in Pasadena, California, in 1965, and eventually expanded to Colorado and New Mexico. Less than 20 years later, however, it would be out of business.

So what happened to Pup 'n' Taco? 99 of its locations were purchased by Taco Bell for around $50 million. Three restaurants in Albuquerque chose to buck the corporate takeover, instead changing the name to "Pop 'n' Taco." By the 20-tweens, even these last holdouts had closed up shop. Nostalgic Pup 'n' Taco fans, however, still remember the chain with fondness decades after its demise.

To some extent, Pup 'n' Taco's menu resembled that of 1962 Taco Bell in that both featured tacos, tostadas, burritos, beans, and burgers. The "Pup" part of Pup 'n' Taco really set this chain apart, though, because this was its nickname for hot dogs topped with chili, mustard, or sauerkraut. One early promotion — back when both hot dogs and tacos were priced at a mere 29 cents each — involved a pair of hand puppets featuring a cartoon hot dog and taco that were free with any purchase.

Yet another Pup 'n' Taco specialty that differentiated it from fast-food franchises was pastrami sandwiches. These may seem like an anomaly, since many of us associate them with New York delis such as Anthony Bourdain's favorite Pastrami Queen. It turns out, however, that there's a long tradition of Los Angeles taco stands selling California-style pastrami sandwiches with taco toppings like lettuce, tomatoes, guacamole, and chiles. Even though this tradition remains, Pup 'n' Taco's pastrami really must have been something special. 

40 years after the chain was bought out by Taco Bell, Facebook users on a Pup 'n' Taco post commented: "the best pastramis," "I loved their pastrami sandwich," and "Great pastrami sandwiches, bring the good old days back!"