Local Del Tacos seized for failing to pay taxes

The three local Del Taco locations were seized and closed Friday by the City of Colorado Springs for failing to pay sales and use taxes.

The local locations — 1645 Space Center Drive, 4310 N. Academy Blvd. and 5430 E. Woodmen Road — were closed and locked Friday with large notices that read “Seized” stuck to the window.

City records show that the franchisee of the restaurants, Rocky Mountain Del LLC, owed $46,732.07 in taxes, with some of the past due amounts dating to July, 2009.

“We’ve been negotiating with them for at least six months,” said city spokesman John Leavitt. “This is something we do as a last resort.”

Carol Burbank, a tax investigator for the city, said when a business is seized the owner is given 10 days to satisfy the tax lien. If they still fail to pay, the city auctions off the property in the businesses.

Sylvia DiLuzio was among a steady stream of customers coming to the doors of the Space Center location Friday afternoon.

“I’m sorry,” DiLuzio said. “I hope they get their bills paid so they can reopen.”

Del Taco arrived in Colorado Springs in 2004, with the location at Space Center Drive. Offering a Mexican menu emphasizing fresh ingredients, the California-based chain is the nation’s second-largest Mexican fast food chain, behind Taco Bell, with 515 locations in 16 states.

A Del Taco spokeswoman said the closure doesn't impact the company's other locations in Colorado and that it hoped to reopen the Colorado Springs restaurants.

“We are doing our very best to get the situation sorted out and to get those restaurants reopened and to get back to serving our customers in Colorado Springs,” said Barbara Caruso, a Del Taco spokeswoman.