Taco John’s closes Rockford location
By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — Taco John’s closed its restaurant on South Alpine Road this week.
The restaurant’s last day in business was Sunday, and all the signage on the building and at the roadside has been removed.
The Mexican quick-service restaurant chain still has an area location at 8304 N. Second St. in Machesney Park, one of a dozen other shops in Illinois. There are also nearly 30 Taco John’s in Wisconsin, including restaurants in Beloit and Janesville, according to the company’s website.
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The restaurant at 3629 S. Alpine Road had briefly closed once before in 2012 when the building was foreclosed on under a former franchisee, according to Rockford Register Star archives. The company had reentered the Rockford market in 2004 when it bought and remodeled a location that has since closed at 3007 N. Main St. Before that, three locations had operated for several years until franchise owners retired.
Taco John’s was founded in 1968 in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and now has nearly 400 restaurants across 23 states. It’s known for its “Taco Tuesday” promotion and its Potato Oles, a specially seasoned crispy potato nugget.
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A call to Taco John’s corporate office Friday was not immediately returned. This story will be updated if we hear back from the company.
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas.
