Renovations are underway, Taqueros are being recruited and signage is coming soon as US mega-chain Taco Bell gets set to open an outlet at Albion Park Rail.
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Taco Bell, ranked the fourth-largest chain in the USA (behind only McDonald's, Starbucks and Subway), has been an American institution for decades with its budget Tex-Mex range centred on tacos and burritos.
Its arrival in Australia has been eagerly greeted, with fans travelling from Sydney and Melbourne to the opening of the Brisbane store in 2017, while others camped outside in anticipation - and to score a t-shirt on opening day.
The development application was approved in May by Shellharbour City Council, with building now underway at the site at 61 Princes Hwy - next door to Subway.
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When contacted by the Mercury Taco Bell's operating company for NSW, QSR Pty Ltd, was not willing to comment, ahead of a planned media announcement next week.
It is understood staff recruitment, which is still open, has attracted significant numbers of applications for the casual jobs of "Food Champions" and "Service Champions".
Taco Bell says it now serves 2 billion customers each year at over 7,000 restaurants worldwide.
QSR (an industry term for Quick Service Restaurant) is owned by Yum! Brands. Plans have been announced by Taco Bell's two licensed operators to open 110 outlets across Australia and New Zealand by 2024.
Openings in Newcastle and Blacktown have also been successful.
The appeal of Mexican-inspired and Tex-Mex food shows no signs of fading in Australia. Diners have gone loco for Mexican chain Guzman y Gomez in recent years, with outlets in Wollongong and Shellharbour both thriving.
Taco Bell says its founder, Glen Bell, created the crunchy taco - not a traditional Mexican dish - in California mid-last century. But numerous sources say it was in existence decades before that, featuring in cookbooks and machine patents in the 1940s.
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