RIP to the LQA TDM

Farewell to the fish.

Now that the sign has come down, Lower Queen Anne residents are forced to admit our beloved Taco Del Mar franchise has really closed. It's been dark for weeks, situated on Mercer Street between 10 Mercer and The Melting Pot, but we had hoped it was a temporary outage--perhaps something to do with the late November snowstorm. But alas, the TDM is now shuttered. After moving twice in the same neighborhood during the last decade, perhaps its new rent was too high. Or, despite offering cheap and tasty Mexican food to go (plus beer for those who opted to dine in), the place may've fallen victim to the same recession that has closed so many other restaurants. For years, the amply sized Mondo Burrito (about $6) has been a staple in my LQA foraging; my punch cards have earned many a free burrito; and the TDM staff has always been more friendly than your usual oppressed fast-food workers. A 2003 story in the P-I called the location "a corporate training store" for the local company, founded in 1992 by brothers James and John Schmidt. However, as our Vernal Coleman previously noted, the company entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this past January. And as The Seattle Times reported in October, TDM was unable to repay its creditors, so the company was sold to Connecticut company Franchise Brands for $3.5 million, ending a local restaurant success story.