After being announced more than a year ago, the city of Oswego finally has its own Taco Bell after the grand opening on Wednesday.

The new Taco Bell, located on the corner of Route 104 and George St. on the eastern side of Oswego, opened after construction began on May 1. After some setbacks, the fast-food restaurant, which was originally planned to open in late summer, opened at 7 a.m. Wednesday.

Hospitality Syracuse, Inc., owns and operates the Taco Bell in Oswego, as well as the Taco Bell located in Fulton, which opened in the middle of January this year.

Jessica Woodburn, marketing director for Hospitality Syracuse, Inc., said in an interview earlier this year that there was “a huge want” for the Taco Bell in Oswego.

Woodburn mentioned that with the establishment of the Taco Bell, there were at least 60 local jobs created. Woodburn was not sure if any of those jobs were opened to college students, since she does not work at the store-level.

“It was a no-brainer to go to Oswego, especially with the college and the high demand for Taco Bell,” Woodburn said. “We’re just excited to be [in Oswego] and be open. The welcome we’ve received by the community has been fantastic.”

While the restaurant opened earlier in the day to be able to serve breakfast, Taco Bell’s ribbon-cutting ceremony was not until 10 a.m. 

The first group of patrons showed up at 6 a.m., which included Oswego State senior Anthony Notaro. Showing up extremely early “started off as a joke,” he said, but during the week the group was actually debating showing up at 6 a.m.

“Being able to actually say I was first at Taco Bell sounded too good to pass on,” Notaro said.  

Notaro said the only negative to showing up so early was that Taco Bell only serves breakfast until 9 a.m, limiting what he could choose off the menu.

“I got a breakfast sausage crunch wrap and a Baja Blast that I mixed with Red Bull because I was exhausted and had school soon,” Notaro said.

Even Oswego Mayor Billy Barlow was in attendance for lunch, grabbing his “favorite meal,” which included a box of tacos and a Mountain Dew Baja Blast, a staple drink from Taco Bell.

“Between people in the SUNY community and people who just overall love Taco Bell and are tired of driving to Fulton or North Syracuse to get it, I think they’ll do really well,” Barlow said.

Woodburn said there has been a lot of questions whether or not Taco Bell will deliver within Oswego with the chain’s national partner, Grubhub. However, since Grubhub has not established itself in Oswego quite yet, there will be no delivery.

Starting next week, both the Taco Bell app and website will allow people to order from their homes and “avoid the line,” Woodburn said.

“I know that [Grubhub’s] goal, by the end of 2020, is to service 100% of the Taco Bell restaurants in the U.S.,” Woodburn said.

There are many other fast-food franchises around the new Taco Bell, including Burger King, Arby’s and Oswego’s second McDonald’s location. Price Chopper, which has a deli, is also nearby.

With other Mexican food establishments in Oswego, such as Fajita Grill, which also has a location in Fulton right next to Taco Bell, and Azteca Mexican Grill, there is a possibility that it could affect business. Notaro mentioned that he might go to Taco Bell a little more since it is closer and cheaper than Fajita Grill and Azteca, especially “when [he is] feeling too lazy to cook.”

“Walmart’s right down the road, the second McDonald’s, new hotels are around there. I think it’s definitely a business district,” Woodburn said. “I think the location is going to work out great.” 

Photo by William Rogers | The Oswegonian