Tacorita, described as a staple of downtown by many Auburn residents, closed it's doors for the last time on Monday, July 19.
In an Instagram post, the restaurant announced it would be closing, with the post getting over 700 comments from community members mourning the loss.
A note announcing the closing was also taped to the door.
"We regret to inform that Tacorita is closed," The note read. "A huge thank you in the entire community for a great 10 years!!"
Tacorita described itself as a mexican-inspired restaurant with a southern approach, per its website, and offered drink specials throughout the week.
Greg Bradshaw, who also owned Mellow Mushroom, brought Tacorita to Auburn in December 2012. After Bradshaw's passing in October 2021, the ten-year lease that had been signed was up, said Adam Nemeroff, who is now the owner of Mellow Mushroom and was in charge of Tacorita before it closed.
"We had talked with the landlord about renewing, and it just didn't happen," Nemeroff said. "We just really couldn't get on the same page, and the landlord decided to possibly lease the place to somebody else."
Nemeroff didn't technically own Tacorita. That part of the deal fell through when they found out the restaurant was going to close, he said.
It came as a surprise for both him and the employees. Not a lot of them knew because it had happened pretty quickly, and Nemeroff himself only found out about a week-and-a-half before.
"We're fortunate that we have another restaurant here," Nemeroff said. "And so we're able to empty most of the employees that wanted to, and I've even reached out to some friends who run other restaurants in town to see if they need help right now."
Some community members speculate that an apartment complex will take the place of the beloved restaurant, but Nemeroff said that he doesn't know of any plans for the building right now.
The Tacorita in downtown Auburn is the only one in the country, Nemroff said, and the people are really what made it happen and become successful.
"Just thank you," Nemeroff said. "Thank you to the community for the support they've shown us for just over 10 years."
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Destini Ambus, senior in journalism, pursuing a minor in sociology is the editor-in-chief of The Auburn Plainsman.
