The Taco King restaurant along Route 66 in Upland, California — famed for its old-school neon sign — recently was put up for sale with an asking price of almost $1.5 million.
According to The Daily Bulletin, longtime owners Luis and Maria Horta want to sell the place by the end of 2018, then retire. They’ve owned the restaurant at 1317 E. Foothill Blvd. (aka Route 66) since 1992.
The newspaper reported the building dates to 1959. At first, it was a Taka Taco, then Ozzie’s Oasis, then Taco Jify, then House of 19 (all menu items were 19 cents). In 1975, it became Taco King.
As for the restaurant’s most visible element:
The vertical sign along Foothill Boulevard is topped by an image in glowing neon: a green saguaro cactus, against which a man in a yellow sombrero, red shirt, blue pants and green serape leans.
It’s almost certainly the best sign on Upland’s stretch of Route 66. It dates at least to the House of 19 days, when its features also included an ice cream cone and a star.
Horta said the sign was dark when he and his wife bought the restaurant, but they had it rebuilt. “Everybody takes pictures with it, especially with the mountains in the background with snow on them,” Horta said.
Horta said the restaurant will stay open until its sale closes.
More about the property may be found here.
(Image of the Taco King sign in Upland, California, by Kirk Kushin via Facebook)