Back to the Bell
West Memphis restaurant’s reopening has residents making a run for the border
By DON WILBURN
A Times Staff Feature
It’s strange the things you miss when away from home. So whether you are from St. Louis and missing the taste of Pappy’s Smoke House ribs, Key Lime Pie from Kermit’s Key West, or even Corky’s from Memphis fret naught as these restaurants and many others delver nationally. I am a man of simpler tastes, however, and living overseas found myself craving simpler foods such as peanut butter, cheddar cheese and pizza rolls. However what I missed most, by far, was Taco Bell.
See TACO BELL, page A3
The all-new Taco Bell on Missouri Street is back in business. Hungry patrons lined up at the drive-thru on Monday to get their fill.
Photo by Don Wilburn TACO BELL
From page A1
The expression “you don’t know what you got until it’s gone” applies ten fold here. So, imagine my surprise and disappointment when finally arriving back home in West Memphis and discovering that the place I had been dreaming about (literally) for years had closed for remodeling.
The wait, it seems, is finally over as Taco Bell , a permanent fixture on Missouri St in west Memphis for over 44 years, celebrated their grand re-opening this past Monday, November 20 after having been closed for nearly 7 months. The parking lot and drive-thru were both already at capacity by 11am as even more eager patrons hungrily pulled in. Sadly though, the “taco trap” in the drive-thru which once you pull in, still very far from the menu/speaker, you are trapped even if you change your mind.
Talking to a few of those patrons between bites one said she was impressed with the speedy service and it seemed like the newly trained employees were on the “right path” and that she “hopes it stays that way”. Another held up his Mexican Pizza with a big smile simply stating “It’s back!”. As for being on the right path this formerly hungry reporter is inclined to agree. Why? They got my order right.
The original Taco Bell on Missouri Street in 1978. The look may have changed but the community’s taste for Mexican fast food is alive in well
Photo courtesy of Robert Hughey
