Taco void will be filled

Guzman Mexican food store to open

After just two years a Mexican-inspired fast food restaurant that opened to great fanfare in 2021 has ceased to trade from DFO Cairns but fiesta lovers need not fret with a new player coming to town to fill the taco-sized void.

At the time of opening crowds from all over the city queued for hours for chipotle crunch burritos and stacked tortilla chips at the Westcourt Taco Bell.

The purpose-built Taco Bell building in the DFO car park was the 20th Australian outlet when it opened in March 2021.

But last week a permanently closed notice was branded across the businesses’ Google listing and the Cairns outlet has been deleted from the Taco Bell store locator website.

Collins Foods runs KFC in Australia and Europe, Taco Bell in Australia and Sizzler in Thailand and Japan.

And according to the 2022 Collins Foods annual report same store sales growth dropped 8.1 per cent after operating on a national level for five years.

DFO Cairns owners Sentinel Property Group declined to comment, however it’s understood the group is in negotiations with Collins Foods about the future of the Taco Bell lease. Collins Foods also declined to comment on the Taco Bell closure.

Taco lovers will have a short wait but another fast food outlet is already gearing up to satisfy the craving for chilli, tortillas and guac.

Long-awaited Mexican fastfood chain Guzman y Gomez has confirmed its Cairns outlet will open in August after months of delays.

Last year the fast-food chain announced plans to open its first store in Cairns mid-2023, after initial plans to open in June 2022 were delayed.

A Guzman y Gomez spokesman said the chain was excited to open its first restaurant at Earlville Shopping Town later this year.

“GYG is on a mission to reinvent fast food because we genuinely believe that fast food doesn’t have to mean bad food.

“We want to show the locals that it’s possible to serve good food, fast, without compromising on quality or nutrition. GYG Cairns will be serving brekkie, lunch and dinner daily,” the spokesman said.

The new restaurant will feature a dual lane drive-through as well as a dine-in area.