The Virginian-Pilot
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VIRGINIA BEACH
Workers spent Wednesday demolishing the Taco Bell at Independence and Virginia Beach boulevards to make way for... a new Taco Bell.
It will open in April, said Mark Wawner, the city's project development manager.
Taco Bell is not what city officials say they want at Town Center, but there's nothing they can do about it.
"There's a long-term land lease on the property that Taco Bell controls, so they have total rights to the property," Wawner said.
Economic development officials hope that the spot someday can have a mix of offices, stores and apartments.
Trying to be a good neighbor, Taco Bell agreed to certain things the city wanted: sidewalks that will make it easy for pedestrians at Town Center; a brick building; and, hopefully, "a corporate feel" rather than a retail feel, Wawner said.
"But it's still going to be Taco Bell."
Company spokesman Rob Poetsch said in an e-mail that the Town Center Taco Bell is one of the most popular in Hampton Roads. But, he said, the building needed so much remodeling that Taco Bell decided to build a new one and "bring the area a fresh new look."
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Beans are Beans, Rice is Rice
When is comes to gringo-ized mexican food, the differences are like the candidates for the top three spots in the last state election - ain't two cents of difference between them. In this regard, TB has a standard menu with standard fillings - constants certain to satisfy the discriminating consumer. If the joint at that spot was loosing money, easy answer - it would be gone. It evidently is making money so it will be an aspect of that corner for years to come - a taco shell fragment in the glittering eye of the CoVB - ya just gotta love that one! When it comes down to it, TB is efficient and effective in what it does and is supposed to do - serve the public. On this, the CoVB council and mayor could learn much from that aspect of the company's business, customer service. We are the CoVB's immediate customers and insist on core services before fancy settings. Fix the roads - forget the light rail. Establish the First Street Recreation and Surf Park today - drop all notions of concrete phallus structures at the Loop. Fancy beans or common beans - they are all just beans at the end of the story.
Sad
I have not eaten at Taco Bell since the demise of the Encherito. A sad day indeed.
Enchirtio
They still have those!! Had one today!!
Hampton Roads is a low wage area
Taco Bell is cheap because they use cheap ingredients. Nobody can tell me that Chipotle, Qdoba, Moe's, Panchero's, Machismo, etc aren't head and heals much better quality Mexican food than Taco Bell. The appeal of Taco Bell is their prices. Since Hampton Roads is a low wage miltary town, I can see the concern with pinching every penny possible. Why is Hampton Roads so low wage? Well easy to answer: A large percentage of the thousands of people discharged from the military decide to stay here either permanently or temporarily. This floods the local job market with highly skilled workers. Well according to the law of supply and demand if the supply of workers goes up, the wages come down. When thousands of ex military are competing for a few good job openings, it creates intense competition and employers can get away with paying dirt low wages and get away with it. Best thing to do for anyone with ambition is get out of Dodge and never look back. I did and am the wealthier and happier for it.
agreed!
I did the same thing! A college grad should make more than $29,000 a year. Since leaving I make almost twice that.
Congrats!
If you never look back, why do you keep posting on Pilotonline.com?
trying
to help all you people who are left behind making low wages. At least you should know why you're not going anywhere in your career and that the grass is truly greener on the other side.
LOL
Too funny!! If you truly thought the grass was greener somewhere other than here, I doubt you'd be spending so much time and effort to keep up with events in Hampton Roads....a place you claim not to miss or look back to. Wouldn't you be tending that oh so green grass? Thanks for the laugh!!
Virginia is for rednecks
There's nothing "high end" about Virginia. A place like the Town Center is like putting lipstick on a pig. With the exception of northern VA (which is really just an extention of DC), Virginia is a redneck state. Ghent is cool though--an oasis of culture in a desert of culture void.
As a native of this area.
My I please extend the invitation for you to leave as soon as possible and don't look back? Why are you here if you don't like it? We may be redneck but at least we're not phony wannabe play high-class on a cheap beer budget. I could never understand why a person would live somewhere they are not happy.