Echo Park -- The neighborhood's gentrification has spread to its fast-food scene, with a now closed KFC restaurant apparently on the way to become a drive-thru Starbucks.

Many residents were surprised when the local KFC/Taco Bell combo at the corner of Glendale Boulevard and Montana Street closed for good and a green construction screen went up around the property.

A photo of a sign posted on Yelp! said that the store's lease had expired and was not being renewed by the landlord. That could not be confirmed but the Echo Park outlet no longer appears on the KFCs website.

Meanwhile, the interior of the restaurant is being gutted and building permits issued by the city make reference to Starbucks TI [Tenant Improvements] in the drive-through building.

The Eastsider has contacted Starbucks to try and confirm the opening of the Echo Park drive-thru, which would be the company's second outlet in the neighborhood.

The conversion would not be the first time a fast-food outlet -- with a valuable drive-thru -- has become a Starbucks. In recent years, the coffee house giant has taken over restaurant drive-thrus in Boyle Heights, Cypress Park and Highland Park.