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Taco Bell plans major urban expansion over next 5 yrs (50 new locations in NYC alone)

X

XiaNaphryz

LATIN, MATRIPEDICABUS, DO YOU SPEAK IT
https://ny.eater.com/2017/9/15/16314420/taco-bell-nyc

As of now, New York City has a limited number of locations because the company used to focus on opening in the suburbs. A typical Taco Bell receives 55 to 70 percent of its revenue from drive-throughs, which is why the city hasn't had an explosion of cheesy gordita crunch.

But in the last two years, Taco Bell has been targeting urban areas too — particularly with Taco Bell Cantinas that serve booze — after finding that urban locations get just as much volume from people walking in as suburban ones do from drive-through.

A dozen locations already exist in cities like Chicago and Austin. The chain wants to open 300 to 350 urban locations total in the next five years, and they're going hard in New York City with 50, according to chief operating officer Mike Grams.

All of them will be in high traffic areas, in spaces that are at least 1,000-square-feet. Expect many of them to pop-up in Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island, as that's where there is ”more space and opportunity," Grams says. They're still trying to figure out Manhattan, but they've targeted at least ten for the borough.

The menus will be the same as every other Taco Bell, with breakfast, lunch, dinner, and late-night dining. Locations with alcohol will serve local beers and freezes (aka frozen, slurpy-type things) topped with liquor.

The new NYC Taco Bells will also likely feature some menu items that are specific to the location, as well as commission local artists to help design interiors.

And although the chain wants to sell booze at most of the locations, Grams says that ”it's not an essential." What's more important will be late-night hours. ”The concept doesn't really need alcohol to be successful," Grams says. ”It's simply another layer to appeal to consumers who want it."

The timing works for the company: Grams says that the company has more national recognition than ever, and the newer city locations have been making money. ”We're going in head first," he says.
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P

Peltz

Member
I don't see them making money on this. New Yorkers don't want Taco Bell when there's hundreds of Mexican restaurants around. It's like opening a Dominos or Pizza Hut here.

10 or 20 can survive and even do well. But 50? Nah. This isn't McDonalds.
 
S

Szu

Member
gol15_d.jpg
 
LifEndz

LifEndz

Member
Finally! There's like one Taco Bell in Queens and maybe two in the city, neither of which are near where I live or work. Great news! Every time a business closes I find myself hoping a Taco Bell replaces it.
 
G

Guevara

Member
It's going to end up like Subway, where they'll take any shitty closet as a location, often too close to one another.
 
X

XiaNaphryz

LATIN, MATRIPEDICABUS, DO YOU SPEAK IT
Pyrokai said:
So where are the other 250-300 locations going?
Click to expand...

Can't find a lot of details, but I did find this snippet:

https://www.eater.com/2017/9/15/16311776/taco-bell-expansion-cantina-urban-locations

While the chain is currently targeting New York City, intending to open 50 stores in Manhattan and the outer boroughs over the next five years, and Chicago, where it debuted the first Taco Bell Cantina location back in 2015, the urban expansion plan also includes Detroit, Pittsburgh, Nashville, and multiple cities on the West Coast.

Most of these upcoming urban locations will be Taco Bell Cantina locations, meaning they'll serve alcohol in the form of beer, wine, sangria, and Twisted Freezes, slushy drinks that can have tequila, rum, or vodka added to them. The very first Cantina location opened in Chicago's Wicker Park and there are now a handful of the concepts across the country, including locations in Cleveland and San Francisco and a flagship store in Vegas.
Click to expand...
 
C

Caddywompus

Member
50? Not unless all those Taco Bells are some unmanned vending machine soda fountain station where you dispense your various meat or bean paste onto your shell of choice.
 
M

Mushroomer25

Member
Hell yes. My only hope is that they actually keep up maintenance on their urban locations. Most fast food joints in Portland are essentially homeless shelters that happen to serve french fries.

(Obviously homelessness is a huge problem that cities themselves need to tackle. But if businesses like Taco Bell & McDonald's want to succeed in these areas, they need to staff them properly and maintain an acceptable level of ambiance.)
 
H

Haly

One day I realized that sadness is just another word for not enough coffee.
When is Popeyes' turn in the sun?
 
S

SwiftDeath

Member
10 in Manhatten sounds challenging considering even Starbucks has trouble running profitable stores in Manhatten with the rent required there
 
R

ReAxion

Member
Peltz said:
I don't see them making money on this. New Yorkers don't want Taco Bell when there's hundreds of Mexican restaurants around. It's like opening a Dominos or Pizza Hut here.
Click to expand...

that's like saying they can't make money in socal.

they're based here. they were founded here.

nyc mexican food. lol.
 
S

Snowybreak

Member
Alcohol? Hmm... Wonder how that's gonna work in Pittsburgh. Liquor licenses in Pittsburgh can run around 75,000 bucks, plus there is a limited number per city.
 
M

markitrons

Member
Where I live, Taco Bell seems to be the go-to fast food for people of Indian descent. On the rare occasions I go, I'm about the only gringo in the joint, and its in a pretty white washed area. I was thinking maybe because most fast food places don't offer vegetarian options?
 
C

Chairman Yang

if he talks about books, you better damn well listen
Peltz said:
I don't see them making money on this. New Yorkers don't want Taco Bell when there's hundreds of Mexican restaurants around. It's like opening a Dominos or Pizza Hut here.
Click to expand...
And there are plenty of kart racers, but somehow, only Mario Kart is worth a damn and it always succeeds.

Glad Taco Bell is expanding in places like NYC that could use some good, authentic Mexican cuisine.
 
X

XiaNaphryz

LATIN, MATRIPEDICABUS, DO YOU SPEAK IT
ReAxion said:
Peltz said:
I don't see them making money on this. New Yorkers don't want Taco Bell when there's hundreds of Mexican restaurants around. It's like opening a Dominos or Pizza Hut here.
Click to expand...

that's like saying they can't make money in socal.

they're based here. they were founded here.

nyc mexican food. lol.
Click to expand...

Chairman Yang said:
Glad Taco Bell is expanding in places like NYC that could use some good, authentic Mexican cuisine.
Click to expand...

shotsfired.gif
 
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