What will replace the demolished Taco Bell on Route 6? It won't be another TB

Peter Becker, Tri-County Independent
·3 min read
5

Taco Bell is down.

So went the fast-food franchise greeting everyone passing the Honesdale Route 6 Plaza and adjacent Route 6 Mall. First it was an Arby's restaurant, which went out of business, and then a Taco Bell, which was damaged in a fire two years ago and shut down.

It became abandoned with the plywood covering the plate glass windows starting to come off, when Pioneer Construction took it down in quick order on Friday morning.

Now the rumor mill is in full tilt as members of the public relay what they heard may be going in, or commenting on what they would like to see happen there. Most of them suggest another fast-food restaurant.

One thing we do know: It won't be another Taco Bell.

The former Taco Bell restaurant at the Route 6 Plaza in Texas Township, near Honesdale, was taken down October 20, 2023. The restaurant had burned September 21, 2021, and was quickly boarded up. Taco Bell opened here in 2013 in the same building that housed an Arby's fast-food restaurant from the mid-1990's until 2010. Pioneer Construction demolished the building.

A popular Facebook group maintained by Roger Hermans, "Wayne County, PA, Important History of the Past…" shows pictures posted by Morgen Hatton of the demolition, which led to lots of rumors and suggestions for the site in the comment section. Someone suggested "another gas station." Others commented, "Burger King would be great," "I'll take an Olive Garden, please," "I heard Chick-fil-a but who knows," "I like Arby's," "KFC would be great," and "Jersey Mike's [Subs], Popeyes, a new Taco Bell."

Another added, "Oh, please put in another Dollar General." (There is already a Dollar General in the Route 6 Plaza.)

Others piped in, "another auto parts store," "bring back Arthur Treacher's [Fish & Chips]" and suggested an emergency 24-hour veterinary service and a shoe store with someone to help the customer fit shoes.

Of interest: T.J. Maxx opens at Route 6 Mall; Cinema 6 becoming Planet Fitness

Robert Bates, Texas Township code enforcement officer, said on Friday that nothing has been submitted to the township for consideration. Texas Township supervisors discussed several months ago about having the shut-up restaurant condemned. Bates said that it had not been condemned by the township.

Anthony Mazonkey, vice president of Mark Development Corporation, said in a phone interview on Tuesday that they could not come to terms for a new lease with Taco Bell. Instead, Mark Development Corporation had the site cleaned up to make it ready to lease to another party, which has not yet been found.

The restaurant stood to the right of the Honesdale National Bank branch office, as seen from Route 6, on a separate 0.66-acre parcel from the Route 6 Plaza. It is part of the holdings of Mark HM Associates, LP, of Kingston. The plaza was opened by Mark Realty Company, of Pittston, in 1972.

Taco Bell opened in late 2013. The fire alarm sounded at approximately 7 a.m., Sept. 19, 2021, with heavy smoke coming from the building. When the demolition crew was taking down the building, the kitchen area was exposed and appeared completely blackened.

The rumor or wishful-thinking mill was also operating in the fall of 2013 after Arby's closed, with the top rumors appearing to be Burger King or Taco Bell. Texas Township officials confirmed it was Taco Bell in October 2013.Arby's opened there in its brand-new building in the mid-1990s and closed in September 2010.

Other fast-food chains with restaurants on Route 6 in the immediate area of the Route 6 Plaza/Route 6 Mall in Texas Township, near Honesdale, include McDonald's, Wendy's and Baskin Robbins/Dunkin' Donuts. There is a Subway at the Honesdale Wal-Mart nearby.

Peter Becker has worked at the Tri-County Independent or its predecessor publications since 1994. Reach him at pbecker@tricountyindependent.com or 570-253-3055 ext. 1588.

This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Honesdale-area Taco Bell demolished after 2021 fire; plans unclear