PreviousNext

Pittsfield Taco Bell Holds Grand Opening

Some Wahconah students say they skipped out for some Taco Bell.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Crunch Wrap Supreme lovers can rejoice.

Taco Bell celebrated the grand opening of a new restaurant on Wednesday after two years of planning and building.

The new structure on Dalton Avenue is a far cry from the franchise's original 1980s building in Berkshire Crossing. It includes various technology improvements designed to provide a more efficient employee and customer experience.

"Obviously the biggest difference is we went from a 1980s building to a brand-new one, a lot of differences you can't see out here, it's in the back of the house, the technology, everything is his newest technologies we have for Taco Bell as far as the ovens and grills, the computer systems and headsets, and the drive-thru technology has been 100 percent updated," said Jessica Woodburn, marketing director for franchise owner Hospitality Restaurant Group, headquartered in New York State.

"So for our team members, it's a much better experience, everything flows easier, it makes sense to them, and then we're out here, our kiosk, the drive-thru mobile ordering, the DoorDash, we had all that before, but it should be much easier now."

The construction of the new restaurant started in September with a projected end date of late 2021.  Because of COVID-19 delays such as supply chain shortages, the date was pushed out by about a month.

The former location shut down at the end of its business day on Sunday. Another fast-food franchise, Chipotle, will be occupying that property in the future.

Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires Honors Leaders, Volunteers

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
09:07AM / Sunday, May 24, 2026

Liana Toscanini presented the Founder's Choice Award to Smitty Pignatelli for his years of support as state representative. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires held its ninth annual nonprofit awards last week honoring the contributions of those who have helped the community in their own way.

 

The gathering at the Country Club in Pittsfield on Tuesday included the introduction of new nonprofit Executive Director Samantha Anderson, who steps in for retiring founder and director Liana Toscanini. State Reps. Tricia Farley-Bouvier, John Barrett III and Leigh Davis attended the event.

 

Toscanini, who created NPC in 2016, was honored at the conclusion of the evening to mark her decade leading the organization. 

 

"Founders don't just lead organizations, they are the organization in the deepest sense," said NPC Board President Emily Schiavoni. "Their relationships, their instincts, their fingerprints are on everything, and when someone has poured a decade of herself into building something from the ground up, the act of stepping back is not a simple handoff, it's an act of extraordinary trust and courage that brings me to what Leanna actually built." 

 

NPC became something of a chamber of commerce for nonprofits under Toscanini's guidance, creating a hub of support for leadership and networking for the small and large nonprofits that fuel much of the activity within the Berkshires. 

 

She developed more than two dozen programs, including Get on Board, which helps connect community members with nonprofit boards, and a giving-back guide, volunteer fairs, and a resource directory.

 

Schiavoni described Toscanini as a great mentor who has had a big impact in strengthening local nonprofits.