What’s Taking the Place of the Former El Taco Tote Location in West El Paso?

What are they building in the former El Taco Tote location on N. Mesa by the University of Texas at El Paso? We now know and I’m not going to lie, it’s disappointing.

The Tote, as we cool kids call it, closed at 2921 N. Mesa on Oct. 7, 2020 after 24 years at that location. I heard it had to do with the lease being up. It continues to operate six other locations in town, though.

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The building was eventually torn down, and after sitting empty for months, construction of a new building is currently underway.

So, what’s taking its place?

As someone who lives in the area, I made a wish list after seeing the excavation process begin. These are some of the restaurants I was hoping would move in:

Cheesecake Factory

It will probably never happen, but I can dream.

In-N-Out Burger

What he ^^ said.

Chick-fil-A

Best. Chicken sandwich. Ever.

Church’s Chicken

The Albertson’s deli cannot be our only choice when we’re craving fried chicken.

Los Jarrones

There aren’t enough Mexican food sit-down restaurants in the area. Or Mexican-style bakeries. This would hit both those spots.

Crave Kitchen & Bar

Their brunch, amirite? Yes, I know, there’s already one on Cincinnati and Stanton, but it’s way too small.

Pretty much anything else would be way more exciting than what's actually being built. A car wash is what’s taking over the space. Mister Car Wash, to be exact.

A major disappointment. Of course, this is coming from a guy who gets his car washed maybe twice a year. Mostly I let mother nature take care of it. Either she washes my car or makes all the others look as dirty as mine. A win either way.

Headquartered in Tucson, Arizona, Mister Car Wash operates over 360 car washes nationwide, including 16 in El Paso. Soon  to be 17.