For those of you who are fanatics of a decent hamburger (and who isn’t) the sight of Carl’s Jr. closing their one and only Montejo location across from Sam’s Club was terribly upsetting. Even more so when Wendy’s also closed their location next to the Gran Plaza mall. While Wendy’s was having some problems, they did have a decent burger… but who suspected that Carl’s Jr. was having any difficulties?
Turns out though, that everyone can rest easy; Carl’s Jr. has reopened in the Mexico Norte colonia, in a new L-shaped shopping center (Mérida has so few, that it is imperative that more of these be opened almost on a weekly basis) located beside Planet Bol (bowl) which has won awards for it’s clever use of local vegetation in it’s landscaping and it’s spacious parking lot. Not.
You will be glad to know that the Critic checked and the good news is that the burgers at the relocated Carls Jr. are as big, sloppy and tasty as at the original location; the service is somewhat lackluster and unenthusiastic and the Cartoon Network blares away for the benefit of the employees who watch glassy-eyed as Bob Sponge indulges in his latest adventures.
For those of you interested in the back story (chisme!), Carls Jr. is owned by the same folks that own Burger King and it seems that BK wanted the Montejo location and so Carl’s was sacrificed to give the King more visibility on Mérida’s most important traffic artery, offsetting the imposing McDonald’s just a few hundred feet away.
As for the Wendy’s location, there will be a Starbucks there very soon. Yes, Starbucks is finally arriving in Mérida and it is rumored that they will be opening in the upcoming malls at Liverpool and Altabrisa as well as that other one being built by Hines on the periferico.
Oh my God, Starbucks? Here? Finally!!! I hope it doesn’t just stay as a rumor!!!
By the way, is Salime… but I can’t sign with my wordpress account
Yes, and they’re also going to be in the new Altabrisa mall…
From what i understand the first Carls Jr close because of legal reasons… the guy who owned it died, there was some reason the other share holders could not pick it up, and thus it closed.
Wendys closed. Well, that doesn’t break my heart. The only reason for having Gringo chains is so homesick gringos can order food from home. Hah! Fat chance at (the former) Wendys.
That nice salad in the big picture by the register? No, that’s not available today. When? Well… maybe when more supplies arrive.
Well, that’s fine. I’ll just have a large Frosty. What? No Frosty?
What the hell is a Wendys without a Frosty? It sure isn’t Wendys. And why no Frosty? Well, they haven’t even bothered to install a machine, let alone order the supplies, which apparently come via canoe across the Gulf.
Anyway, no heartbreak here. It wasn’t really a Wendys anyway.
Carl’s Jr. is in San Ramon, just north of Mexico Norte. It’s right next to the Andrés García Lavín Avenue which leads to City Center.
There’s another one in Galerias Merida. I prefer the latter because the times I’ve eaten at the one in that crappy mini mall the hamburgers where kind of… wet.
I’m sorry, I meant San Antonio Cucul, not San Ramón Norte.