Maureen Wallenfang
Appleton Post-Crescent
Published 3:01 PM EDT Jun 26, 2019
Internet speculation that some Fox Cities Taco Bells are closed or closing was not true as of this week.
A check Tuesday night on six Taco Bells in the Fox Cities – in Appleton, Neenah, Menasha and Little Chute – plus eight in the greater Green Bay area, showed all were operating, though two Appleton locations had drive-thru service only.
Taco Bells here are struggling with staffing and maintenance issues, and customers report waiting in long drive-thru lines when dining rooms are closed sporadically or the kitchen is shorthanded.
Other fast food chains are also experiencing staffing issues, but Taco Bell has been a lightning rod for online complaints.
On Tuesday, operating hours were reduced at some Taco Bell locations when compared to hours listed on tacobell.com, and visually a few sites appeared significantly understaffed.
The two closed dining rooms Tuesday were at 2840 W. College Ave., on Appleton’s west side, and 3221 E. Express Court, on Appleton’s east side.
At the West College Avenue location, the dining room was closed at 6 p.m. and a sign on the door read, “Lobby is closed for maintenance.” An employee in the drive-thru lane said the closure was due to “short staffing and a maintenance issue,” and said they had no ice for drinks. At that time, there was just one truck in the drive-thru lane.
The east side Taco Bell’s doors were locked at 7:04 p.m. with no posted sign explaining why it was closed. A worker leaving a few minutes later said the closure was because of “trouble in the bathroom,” but pointed out that food service was available at the drive-thru window. At that time, a half-dozen cars were waiting, and service took an average of six to nine minutes.
“It’s no secret that Appleton’s job market is very tight, which has impacted the staffing levels at many businesses in the area, including Taco Bell,” the company’s media office said in an email.
“Our franchisee who operates the Taco Bell locations in Appleton is aggressively recruiting and attracting additional talent by offering team member benefits such as education and scholarship programs, and plans to have operations back up to speed as soon as possible,” the email read.
Hiring posters at Fox Cities locations say the company has “competitive pay.”
An employee in the Menasha location said new crew members start at $10 an hour.
Green Bay Press Gazette reporter Kaitlin Edquist contributed to this story.
Contact Maureen Wallenfang at 920-993-7116 or mwallenfang@postcrescent.com. Follow her on Twitter at @wallenfang.
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