A plaque remaining from the Big Apple Night Club at West 135th Street and Seventh Avenue in Harlem.

Above, a 1934 plaque from the Big Apple Night Club at West 135th Street and Seventh Avenue in Harlem. Discarded as trash in 2006. Now a Popeyes fast food restaurant on Google Maps.

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Entry from March 30, 2011
Toxic Hell (Taco Bell nickname)

Taco Bell fast food restaurants have been nicknamed the derogatory term “Toxic Hell” since at least 1990.
 
Other Taco Bell nicknames include “Taco Hell” (cited in print since at least 1989), “Taco Smell” (since 1990) and “Toxic Smell” (since 1994).
 
 
Wikipedia: Taco Bell
Taco Bell is an American chain of fast-food restaurants based in Irvine, California. A subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., it specializes in Mexican-style food. Taco Bell serves tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, other specialty items, and a variety of “Value Menu” items. Taco Bell serves more than 2 billion consumers each year in more than 5,800 restaurants in the U.S., more than 80 percent of which are owned and operated by independent franchisees.
 
Urban Dictionary
Toxic Hell
Anther term for Taco Bell, especially if it’s not a very high quality restraunt.
You want pizza or Toxic Hell for supper?
by LR Dec 9, 2003
 
Google Books
The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English
By Eric Partridge, Tom Dalzell and Terry Victor
Taylor & Francis
2006
Pg. 1996:
Toxic Hell noun
a Taco Bell restaurant (a Mexican fast-food chain in the US) US
.—Connie Eble (Editor), UNC-CH Campus Slang, p. 6 Spring 1993
       
Google Groups: alt.peeves
Newsgroups: alt.peeves
From: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) (Dan Sandin)
Date: 10 Dec 90 18:46:50 GMT
Local: Mon, Dec 10 1990 1:46 pm
Subject: Re: Burger joints
 
Does anyone share my opinion that Taco Bell (Toxic Hell) employees are the most unintelligent fast food service persons in all of the world?
 
Google Groups: rec.humor
Newsgroups: rec.humor
From: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Date: 1 Jul 91 00:34:12 GMT
Local: Sun, Jun 30 1991 7:34 pm
Subject: American food
 
My brother and I always refer to Taco Bell as “Taco Hell’ despite the fact that we kinda like it.  I fully intend to start using ‘Toxic Hell’, though, now that you mention it.
 
Google Books
Slang & Sociability:
In-group language among college students

By Connie C. Eble
Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press
1996  
Pg. 128:
Nearby fast-food restaurants are Toxic Hell for ‘Taco Bell’ and Pizza Slut for ’ Pizza Hut’.

Posted by Barry Popik
New York CityRestaurants/Bars/Coffeehouses/Food Stores • Wednesday, March 30, 2011 • Permalink


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