We Walk into a Bar That Isn't There

Taps and Tacos, Fresno, California

Shortly after we moved to Fresno we noticed a place called “Taps and Tacos.” We saw a “Now Open” sign and thought, “We really need to go there.” After all, it combined the point of this blog with Mexican food, so that would be a very happy thing. The place was on Shaw Avenue, a street we drive on quite frequently, so we either thought or said, “We really should go there and write about it,” at least once a week.

So last Tuesday, we finally said, “Let’s go to Taps and Tacos tonight.” We asked our son to go along. We checked the menu online, and it looked like it had things we’d all enjoy. The website said they had happy hour until 6:00, and Facebook had something about taco Tuesday, so we headed over around 5:00. .

As we approached the place, it looked dark. The sign wasn’t lit up. We considered these things clues and wondered if it was closed for the evening. We pulled into the parking lot, got out of the van, and headed for the door. A sign in the window thanked the guests for their patronage and said the place was closed as of a week before we got there. We were never going to be those guests.

Back home, Mindy checked some reviews including some complaints about the service. She even saw a review where (apparently) a bartender who got negative comments argued with the reviewer. There were a number of four and five star reviews. We might have had a great experience or a lousy one, but we will never know.

I did a little research as well. I’d heard it said the ninety percent of restaurants fail in the first year, but apparently that’s not true. One article mentioned a 55 to 60 percent failure rate in the hospitality industry,* which is better than what I was thinking, but still, failure is more likely than success.  Even some places we visited in the last two years are gone -- One of our favorites, the great Donny Dirk’s Zombie Den in Minneapolis, is no more.

So we wish we’d made it to Taps and Tacos. We might have had great food and drinks and met some great people. It might have led to an incredible post.

I do have some doubt that a post from us would have saved the bar. We will never know.

*https://possector.com/management/restaurant-failure