A rendering of a Taco Bell Cantina in Chicago’s Wicker Park
Taco Bell
In case you haven’t heard, the rumors that Taco Bell is opening one of their Cantina locations on Dickson Street are now true-mors.
We began hearing reports several weeks ago that the chain was looking to open a restaurant at 412 W. Dickson St., in a portion of the space formerly home to Common Grounds.
Sam Fiori, COO of K-Mac Enterprises who is the Fort Smith-based franchisee group that operates Taco Bell restaurants in the area, confirmed the news to us Monday night.
Taco Bell officials announced the new cantina concept last year, and opened its first two locations in Chicago and San Francisco. The new restaurants focus on a “tapas-style” menu, serve alcohol, and are typically located in urban and downtown areas.
Real estate representatives told Shopping Centers Today that the company is in rapid growth mode, and plans to build or remodel around 600 stores this year, with the possibility of including “several hundred” of the new urban cantinas. Company officials this week said they plan to open more than 2,000 new Taco Bell locations by 2022.
Officials also unveiled four new designs for their future Taco Bell restaurants this week, which include upscale finishes, reclaimed woods, LED lighting, and an open-kitchen concept.
The Dickson Street restaurant, which is expected to open later this year, will likely have a similar look.
Taco Bell on Sunday closed their longtime restaurant at 1772 N. College Ave., but the restaurant still operates five locations in Fayetteville: Crossover Road, Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Joyce Boulevard, Wedington Drive, and the Northwest Arkansas Mall.
