Taco Bell reopens | News, Sports, Jobs
Customers wait in a line circling the parking lot, waiting to pass through the drive-thru lane at Taco Bell on Thursday afternoon. “I told my friend, if you want Taco Bell, I’m ready to wait,†said Tim Pang of Wailuku (in a red Jeep). Queues for the famous fast food restaurant have meandered through the parking lot since its long-awaited reopening last week. Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo
This is great news for Central Maui Taco Bell fans as the Kahului restaurant has reopened and an additional location is underway for customers to get their burrito and crunchwrap fix.
Taco Bell on Kamehameha Avenue reopened on June 18 after about five months of construction. A spokesperson for the restaurant said this week that another Taco Bell was in the clearance stage.
The new location will be at the Hookele Shopping Center, which houses the new Safeway, said Leah Allen, director of marketing for TD Food Group Inc. in Oahu, whose ownership and operations include Hawaii’s Taco Bell and Pizza Hut restaurants.
TD is also a subsidiary of Restaurant Brands of Hawaii Ltd.
Allen was unable to say when the new restaurant would open because the company has no control over the approval process. But once they get the permits, it typically takes 120 to 160 days to build, she said.
Members of the Kahului Taco Bell team pose outside the restaurant on June 18. The restaurant reopened last week after closing for about five months as the building was demolished and rebuilt. TD FOOD GROUP Photo
For now, customers will have to be patient with the long lines at the drive-thru, which is chock-full of cars winding through the parking lot late at night.
“Kahului Taco Bell has opened its doors with a bang and as expected we are extremely busy due to pent-up demand.” Allen said. “Our Maui team has done a fantastic job serving customers so far. “
This week, the Kahului site will begin its “Groom” program to help speed up drive-thru. Restaurant team members will meet customers at their car window to take their order, as well as contactless payment, before customers head to the drive-thru window to collect their food, explained Allen.
She added that all employees transferred to the Taco Bell sites in Kihei and Lahaina during construction have returned to the Kahului restaurant.
Taco Bell also hires crew members and managers for many of its locations, she said. Applicants should. go to tacobellhawaii.com/careers.
The Lahaina Taco Bell and Pizza Hut location will also be “Undergo a complete transformation”; the company is at the authorization stage.
Allen previously said the improvement work was being carried out in accordance with a “Asset transformation plan” which started a few years ago. Some Oahu Taco Bells were also improved last year, according to the TD Food Group website.
Allen said that all Maui Taco Bell locations have restaurant seating. They also encourage ordering through the Taco Bell app to earn points.
The Kahului Taco Bell’s drive-thru service is open daily from 6 a.m. to midnight and 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. in its dining room.
* Melissa Tanji can be contacted at [email protected]
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Customers wait in a line circling the parking lot, waiting to pass through the drive-thru lane at Taco Bell on Thursday afternoon. “I told my friend, if you want Taco Bell, I’m ready to wait,†said Tim Pang of Wailuku (in a red Jeep). Queues for the popular fast food restaurant have meandered through the parking lot since its long-awaited reopening last week. Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo
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Kahului Taco Bell crew members pose outside the restaurant on June 18. The restaurant reopened last week after closing for about five months as the building was demolished and rebuilt. TD FOOD GROUP Photo