Taco Bell doubles down on Landis Ave., replacing existing restaurant to add drive-thrus

VINELAND — Taco Bell customers increasingly are “drive-buyers” who avoid a sit-down meal, a trend behind a decision to phase out a restaurant built here less than a decade ago on heavily traveled West Landis Avenue.

But first, the franchise owner will open a replacement outlet only yards away. The new site will use a new design featuring two drive-thru lanes instead of one. A former OceanFirst bank branch will be razed to make way for it.

On Wednesday night, the city Planning Board approved construction and demolition requests from the franchise operator, Summerwood Corp. in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania. The company owns most Taco Bell outlets in South Jersey.

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Joe DePascale, development manager for the company, said the double drive-thru feature is being retrofitted where possible to all its stores. “In this case, we’re moving the store in order to do that,” he said.

“Our business, with COVID and everything, you know, drive-thru was always in the 70 percent range,” DePascale said. “It’s probably 80, 85 now. Add to that the Grub Hub delivery operations. So, we don’t need significant parking.”

Board member David Catalana said he approves of the site plan detailing 23 parking spaces, more than the 17 spaces required by city code.

“I like … more parking because a lot of people are using the drive-thru and then parking and eating in their car,” Catalana said. “That’s become a much bigger thing. So, it’s not even the parking for the people going in. It’s the parking for people who drive through and sit in their car and eat. That was a COVID thing that people like Wawa have seen.”

DePascale said the 23 spaces actually is a little less than the chain usually seeks, with 30-plus more normal.

“However, with the double drive-thru, we also have the opportunity to have those ordering online to come through the drive-thru as well, so they don’t have to park,” DePascale said. “So, we can normally, you know, do better without that.”

DePascale said the existing Taco Bell, at 1294 W. Landis Ave. between Orchard Road and Delsea Drive, will be marketed for a new user rather than demolished.

The new restaurant will be 2,722 square feet, slightly larger than the existing one that the city approved in May 2013.

The board needed to approve some variances for the new building, notably due to the roughly 9.42-acre property having sizeable freshwater wetlands that reduces the amount of land that can be developed.

Project engineer Brian Cleary said the two drive-thru lanes keep the number of vehicles backed up awaiting service manageable.

“The number of cars don’t really matter with the double drive-thrus,” Cleary said. “It’s getting that second ordering station. That’s what really holds you back with a drive-thru.”

City planners are wary of vehicle “stacking” or “queuing” at fast-food businesses affecting passing traffic, especially along highway commercial corridors like West Landis Avenue.

Voting to approve the plan were board Chairman David Manders, Vice Chairman Michael Pantalione, and members John Casadia, Councilman David Acosta, Robert Odorizzi, Doug Menz, Sandy Velez, and Catalana.

Joe Smith is a N.E. Philly native transplanted to South Jersey more than 30 years ago, keeping an eye now on government in South Jersey. He is a former editor and current senior staff writer for The Daily Journal in Vineland, Courier-Post in Cherry Hill, and the Burlington County Times.

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This article originally appeared on Vineland Daily Journal: Vineland NJ Taco Bell using bank for new double drive-thru