Condado Tacos has permanently closed its Promenade on Providence location in south Charlotte, and the shopping center's landlord is now moving to evict the chain over more than $79,000 in unpaid rent and other lease charges.
The closure came to light after Promenade Shopping Center LLC filed a summary ejectment complaint on September 14 in Mecklenburg County court, according to the Charlotte Observer. The landlord alleges Condado Tacos owes $79,108 in past-due rent and other lease charges, on top of the $15,377.50 the restaurant had been paying in monthly rent. The complaint also accuses the chain of refusing to surrender the roughly 4,500-square-foot space it once occupied, and the landlord says it may pursue additional damages beyond what's already owed.
A Quiet Exit From The Shopping Center
Condado Tacos removed its Promenade on Providence location from its website, and a phone message at the number once listed for the restaurant now tells callers the location has been permanently closed, the Observer reports. The court filing names other occupants at the Providence Road address, including an entity called Condado Tacos 50 LLC. With the closure, the chain's South End restaurant is now its only location left in Charlotte.
The Promenade location wasn't a small bet for the Ohio-based chain. According to WSOC-TV, Condado Tacos signed a lease for nearly 4,500 square feet at 10706 Providence Road, suite 300, with plans calling for a 190-seat restaurant to open in spring 2023. The Observer's reporting places the restaurant's actual opening at the site in June 2023.
Trouble At A Struggling Shopping Center
Condado Tacos isn't the only recent departure from the Promenade on Providence. The Observer's report notes the taco chain is the second tenant to close at the shopping center in as many months, following Ikea's shutdown of its small-format store there in August. The nearly 438,000-square-foot center, situated on Providence Road between Ballantyne Commons Parkway and Interstate 485 per WSOC-TV, still counts Home Depot, The Fresh Market, Jos. A. Bank and Anytime Fitness among its tenants.
Condado Tacos built its reputation on build-your-own tacos, creative drinks, and a menu with vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options, and the chain now operates 49 locations across six states. The company had previously told the Charlotte Business Journal it hoped to open five locations in the Charlotte market, a plan that now looks uncertain given the south Charlotte closure. Condado Tacos did not respond to a request for comment from the Observer's ChonicleFive food team before publication.
