Months of hype — including an erroneous rumor that it would feature a bar — preceded Taco Bell’s return to downtown Evanston on Friday, but Weinberg senior Will Yuen and Feinberg graduate student Shanti Gallivan just came to chow down on some Mexican-inspired grub.
They left no crumbs.
“We got to come down just to christen it, basically,” said Yuen, who called Taco Bell his fast-food favorite.
The California-based chain reopened downtown after a six-year hiatus, just a few doors down from its previous digs. The new Taco Bell fills the space vacated by Blaze Pizza earlier this year at 1737 Sherman Ave.
(Shun Graves/The Daily Northwestern)
It also fills a gap in downtown Evanston, where cheap late-night bites remain hard to find.
Enter Taco Bell. Operated by franchisee Ampler, the downtown Evanston location will stay open past midnight every day.
“When we heard Blaze Pizza was going away, we decided to come back to Evanston,” said Francisco Ramirez, an Ampler district manager.
The chain’s Skokie location sees a large share of Evanston customers, Ramirez told The Daily. And though downtown Evanston has several taco joints such as Big Wig Tacos and newly opened Dos Bros Fresh Mexican Grill, it has few fast-food chains.
Self-serve kiosks line the entrance of a franchise that focuses on speed. The Taco Bell’s operators said they would also emphasize fulfilling delivery orders, another draw for college students.
The eatery’s toned-down confines belie some of the high-flying rumors that preceded it. Despite earlier media reports, this Taco Bell is not a cantina, a format that sells alcoholic beverages. So no twisted Baja Blasts.
But a regular Taco Bell will still bring the basics back to Evanston, Ampler leaders said. It could also claim the mantle of the long-shuttered downtown Burger King, once a nighttime mainstay for NU students.
“The students at Northwestern really were looking for some late-night place to grab a bite to eat,” Downtown Evanston Executive Director Andy Vick told The Daily. “So I think it’s filling an important niche there, especially given its proximity to campus.”
Yuen and Gallivan dropped by Taco Bell on Friday afternoon. Gallivan had spotted the opening earlier that day.
He ordered the Luxe Cravings Box and a cheesy beef burrito, while she ordered a Stacker beef quesadilla. They’ll be back for more.
“It’s a very good late-night, just finished turning in a bunch of assignments — just like a treat when most of Evanston is shut down,” Gallivan said.
Soon, the pair topped up a Baja Blast and stepped outside.
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