Abandoned Don Pablo’s Restaurant: Battle Creek, Michigan
WARNING: Under no circumstances should you enter this property. By doing so you risk bodily harm and/or prosecution for trespassing on private property.
I never had the pleasure of dining at a Don Pablo's restaurant...mainly because there weren't any close by.....at least, none I knew of. The chain of Don Pablo Mexican Restaurants was founded back in 1985 in Lubbock, Texas.
The peak of their success culminated with 120 locations throughout the United States and was the second most popular Mexican restaurant behind Chi-Chi's.
They hadn't been around that long when they were sold in 2014. By 2016, there were only 12 locations left in 9 states, and three left in three states in 2018. The last Don Pablo's – located in New Jersey - shut down on June 23, 2019. The main cause? Bankruptcy.
The deserted Don Pablo's seen in the gallery below is located at the northwest corner of Beckley Road and M-66, just off I-94 in Battle Creek. The building still looks nice, the inside has not been vandalized, but there is an unsightly pile of garbage out in the back.
The old sign is still on the corner, overgrown with weeds. The parking lot sits bare with weeds and grass popping their way thru the cracks in the cement...a parking lot that was once filled with customers, now just a ghostly memory.
Since the images in the gallery below were taken, the building is currently being used as a different establishment. Have a look and see the colorful décor and try to imagine what it was like when the restaurant was full of people!
Abandoned Don Pablo Restaurant, Battle Creek
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