Which North Ave. Taco Bell Location Reigns supreme?
Sydnee flotron-oddities editor
Ask anyone in Grand Junction and they’ll tell you, Taco Bell isn’t just a fast food chain, it’s a way of life. While there are four Taco Bell locations in Grand Junction, North Ave. holds what is rumored to be the best Taco Bell in existence: 850 North Ave.
It’s a local legend that this Taco Bell location is not only the best Grand Junction has to offer, but many swear that this particular location is better than any Taco Bell they’ve ever had. Lauren Popp, a former Grand Junction resident who has recently moved to Utah, misses Taco Bell more than anything else after her move.
“The Taco Bell in Grand Junction is the best I have ever had. The drive through is crazy fast, the staff is incredibly nice, and the food honestly tastes better than anywhere else. Utah Taco Bells just don’t compare to the one off of North Ave. They mess up your order, it tastes like it’s been sitting under a heat lamp, and just tastes bland,” Popp said.
So, what’s with this magic Taco Bell? Is it really that much better than the other locations? There’s only one way to find out. While this particular location may be the most popular to residents, I compared it to the next best location: 2897 North Ave. I paid a visit to both locations during lunch rush on a Wednesday and rated them both on the following criteria:
-Speed
-Customer Service
-Food
Welcome to the battle of North Ave: Taco Bell edition. Let’s dig in.
speed
Fast food drive through speed is subject to change based on a variety of outside factors like time of day, day of the week, staffing, and even location. I visited the 850 North Ave. location at 12 p.m. on a Wednesday, right at the start of lunch rush. It took me six minutes from entering the line to being handed my food at the window. This was impressive considering the line was wrapped around the corner. Another factor is that this location is right next to the Colorado Mesa University campus, where students and staff regularly visit Taco Bell on their lunch breaks at this time. I visited the 2897 North Ave. location at 1 p.m. the same day, and it took me 10 minutes from start to finish. This was also at the peak of lunch rush, and their line was wrapped around the corner as well.
Overall, the 850 North Ave. location was speedier, so round one goes to them.
customer service
The 850 North Ave. location employees were nothing short of pleasant. When my order was taken, I was greeted with a cheerful “Hi Welcome to Taco Bell, what can I get you today?” When I got to the window, the cashier complimented my shirt and kept a conversation going with me while we waited for my food. The 2897 North Ave. location wasn’t necessarily as cheery, but it wasn’t bad either. When I got to the window, the cashier took my card and shut the window and kept it shut while I waited for my food, so the interaction was minimal. However, this cashier did provide a hefty amount of extra sauce without me having to ask, so extra points to them there.
Overall, 850 North Ave. gets the win in this category. Lauren Popp seconds that the customer service at this location is always fantastic.
“You can tell that the workers at the other locations don’t love what they do as much as the North Ave. workers do,” Popp said.
food
Last but not least, the food. Arguably the most important factor in choosing the best Taco Bell location. To keep this a fair comparison, I ordered the same items at both locations:
At the 850 North Ave. location, my food was all over the place. When I opened the bag, the taco toppings had spilled out, and the cinnamon twists looked like they’d been thrown in the bag as well. However, it all tasted fantastic. The Chicken Chipotle Melt was toasted to perfection, and the chicken wasn’t too chewy. The Baja Blast was crisp, the Cinnamon Twists were loaded with cinnamon sugar, and the taco tasted just fine after being re-assembled. The 2897 North Ave. location did get extra points for having neater packaging. Nothing was thrown around, and the taco wasn’t spilled. The Baja Blast tasted the same, but there was hardly any ice. The Chicken Chipotle Melt had chewy chicken, and the cinnamon twists didn’t have nearly as much cinnamon sugar on them as the other location. I also noticed I didn’t receive as full of a bag of cinnamon twists as I did at the 850 North Ave. location.
Overall, 850 North Ave. is the champion. It was superior in every category: speed, customer service, and food. Grand Junction, the rumors are true. We can finally confirm that after all of these years, The 850 North Ave. Taco Bell is officially the best Taco Bell in Grand Junction. If you still don’t believe me, believe Ana Anderson, another Grand Junction Taco Bell connoisseur.
“I heard about the Taco Bell rumor when I first moved here and I thought it was crazy. It’s Taco Bell, it all tastes the same. I don’t think I realized how good the North Ave. Taco Bell was until I had to stop in Denver on the way home for Christmas one year. The Denver Taco Bell I went to was terrible. I thought it was just a bad visit, but then when I got home to Texas I had Taco Bell again, and it was just as bad. The rumor is true, nothing will ever compare to the 850 North Ave. Taco Bell,” Anderson said.
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