Taco Bell is cooking in Wellsville: What to know about plan for new restaurant
A Taco Bell is cooking in Wellsville.
Representatives of Indus Hospitality Group presented plans to the village board Monday night for a new fast food restaurant at the southwest corner of the company’s property at West Dyke Street and South Main. Indus Hospitality also owns and operates the Microtel Inn and Dunkin Donuts at the site.
The proposed Taco Bell is a single-story, 2,200-square-foot structure with a drive-thru, along with indoor and outdoor seating for 40 customers. It would sit on the half-acre of unused land at the site.
The development will utilize existing curb cuts on South Main and West Dyke streets for ingress and egress. Altogether, 85 shared parking spaces are planned for the site. The development will require a slight variance to the village codes, which would require 93 total parking spaces.
Peter Vars, of engineering firm BME Associates, said activity at the three businesses will peak at different hours of the day, alleviating a potential parking crunch.
“With the hotel, guests typically arrive after the dinner hour and check out in the morning. Obviously, Dunkin Donuts is more centric to the morning and noon hours. The Taco Bell would be of more use in the afternoon and evening hours,” said Vars.
“We don't have all three users putting the same demand on the parking all at the same time."
John Ott, of Indus Hospitality, said Taco Bells that don’t serve breakfast typically open at 10:30 a.m. The restaurant may be open as late as 11 p.m. on weekends, depending on demand.
The Taco Bell will utilize the dumpsters at Dunkin Donuts. The Community Bank ATM on the property will not be removed as part of the project.
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When could construction start on the proposed Taco Bell?
Indus Hospitality intends to seek formal village approval for the project this spring, likely in the next six to eight weeks. The company initially considered pursuing construction as early as this spring, but with seven other properties currently under construction it elected for more lead time on the Wellsville project.
Ott said the earliest construction will begin is late summer of 2023. A spring 2024 start date is more likely.
Ott added that a major capital improvement project is planned for the Microtel this year. Rooms will be renovated and landscaping will be improved.
Indus Hospitality specializes in hotel, Dunkin Donuts and Taco Bell franchises. It will own 20 hotels by the end of 2023, Ott said, including the new Hampton Inn by Hilton in Hornell.
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Wellsville’s lone Mexican-style restaurant, Las Brasas Grill, closed its operation on Route 417 last fall. The closest Taco Bell restaurants are located in Hornell and Olean.
According to owner Yum! Brands, more than 350 franchise organizations operate over 7,200 Taco Bell restaurants that serve 40 million customers each week in the U.S.
If approved, the Taco Bell would join a pair of other recent development projects in Wellsville. A new Walgreens was constructed on Bolivar Road and opened in 2022, while a Quicklees convenience store and gas station is planned next door. That development will include a Tim Hortons.
Taco Bell is the second restaurant to eye a new location in the area in recent days week. An Ellicottville restaurant and nightclub announced its intent to open a second location in Hornell at the former Club 57, targeting a spring debut.
This article originally appeared on The Evening Tribune: Taco Bell proposed by developers in Wellsville NY
