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.
This Taco Bell location is part of the Albany, N.Y., market bought by Hospitality Restaurant Group in 2009.
In an effort to be good neighbors, this location joined the countywide economic development organization 1Berkshire. As a member, it received a ribbon cutting a the grand opening.
Director of Member Services Christine Hoyt was in attendance to celebrate 1Berkshire's new member.
"I'm here celebrating a new business in Pittsfield, Taco Bell did reach out to 1Berkshire about a month ago letting us know about their opening, letting us know that they were hiring," she said. "And then they joined 1Berkshire as their commitment to the community here and to let us know that they want to support the businesses in Pittsfield."
Woodburn said this location is looking to hire about 20 more employees. She highlighted the benefits of working for Taco Bell that include medical and dental insurance, paid vacation and sick time, a 401K matching program, life insurance, and a scholarship program.
A number of people showed up to celebrate the new restaurant including a group of Wahconah Regional High School students who held a sign saying they were missing school for the event.
