Future homes of Taco Bell Cantina and Pickleman’s Gourmet Cafe
The Taco Bell Cantina on Dickson Street we mentioned last May is getting closer to opening day.
According to a local television station, the restaurant is currently hiring 15-20 new employees for the location, with plans to open sometime in February or March.
A rendering of a Taco Bell Cantina in Chicago’s Wicker Park
Taco Bell
Taco Bell Cantina will be located at 412 W. Dickson St., in a portion of the space formerly home to Common Grounds.
Renovations on the century-old building are currently underway. According to the NWA Democrat Gazette, K-MAC Enterprises of Fort Smith, who owns the Taco Bell Cantina franchise, plans to spend a total of around $500,000 renovating the building.
The Cantina concept is relatively new. Taco Bell officials announced it in 2015, and opened its first two locations in Chicago and San Francisco. Since then, Cantinas have opened in Las Vegas and Austin, and a handful of others are in the works around the country.
The new restaurants focus on a “tapas-style” menu, serve alcoholic drinks like frozen margaritas, and are typically located in urban and downtown areas. They typically serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and are open late as well for the “fourth meal” crowd.
The specific hours for the Fayetteville location have not been announced.
The Taco Bell Cantina will take up about half the space formerly occupied by Common Grounds. Columbia-Missouri-based Pickleman’s Gourmet Cafe will occupy the other half, and that restaurant is also expected to open sometime this spring.
