Taco Bell is coming to the Strip

Monica Nakashima, Staff Reporter

Taco Bell will open its fourth Tuscaloosa location on the Strip next month. Situated between Rounders and Phone Clinic University, the fast food chain is replacing China Master at 1211 University Blvd.

Marjorie Pearlman, the chief marketing officer for Tacala, a company that owns hundreds of Taco Bell locations throughout the Southeast, told Tuscaloosa Thread that the location on the Strip will open sometime in August. 

“We’re excited to get right on campus at the University of Alabama and make sure we appeal to the students there,” Pearlman told Tuscaloosa Thread. 

Pearlman said the Strip’s Taco Bell will be a Cantina version of the chain. Taco Bell Cantinas are smaller, in-line units with limited indoor seating. The Strip location will seat around 30 people inside and four more outside. 

Customers place digital orders via the Taco Bell mobile app or at one of the digital kiosks inside the restaurant. The only time when employees will serve the public directly is during busy hours, and they will meet with customers in line and take their orders with a tablet. Cantinas also typically serve alcoholic beverages, like their signature Baja Blast margarita. 

Barstool Bama tweeted a picture of the storefront on Monday, and it sparked a reaction from UA students and alumni.