Winfield’s Taco Tico closed late last week and will not reopen but negotiations already have begun to redevelop the property that the fast food Mexican restaurant occupied for nearly 20 years, according to the building’s owner.
Taco Tico submitted a letter to Richardson Brothers Construction ? the Winfield-based company that owns the property at 1902 Main ? stating the restaurant would close for good Aug. 24, Leonard Richardson said Tuesday.
Richardson said he was unaware the restaurant had already closed but indicated he was not surprised it happened sooner than expected. Taco Tico officials cited "lack of business" as one of the reasons the eatery would close, Richardson said.
A manager at the Taco Tico in Arkansas City confirmed the closing but referred questions about the Winfield restaurant’s future status to the company’s corporate office. A phone call to the corporate office seeking comment was not immediately returned Tuesday afternoon.
Richardson Brothers plans to sell the building as soon as a deal can be negotiated, Leonard Richardson said. The construction company has leased the building to Taco Tico for 20 years, he said.
Interest in the property, which is located at one of the busiest intersections in Winfield, is high Richardson said. Officials representing Pizza Hut have expressed interest.
"They’re (Pizza Hut) negotiating for it right now but nothing has been finalized," Richardson said. "We should know something very soon. It’d be a good location for a lot of things, I know that."
Warren Porter, Winfield’s city manager, said the city had no notice of the restaurant’s closing but had heard from a group interested in the redevelopment of the corner where Taco Tico is located.
The city has met with developers and discussed a project but Porter would not say whether developers associated with Pizza Hut had contacted him.
"There’s nothing in writing in my office, so far," Porter said. "There have been some discussions about the redevelopment of that area, but that’s really all I know."
Officials at either of Pizza Hut’s Winfield locations were not immediately available for comment Tuesday.
