I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t visit this emporium
of fast food often enough. I mean who doesn’t like a good taco or a bucket of
crispy chicken from time to time? So, I made it a point one day in January
to stop by and grab a couple of tacos along with a with a medium sized Pepsi.
A previous review by someone else on the SuperPages.com
website was less than encouraging. However, one person’s opinion does not a
world make. So, what’s the deal? Is the food good, bad or somewhere in between?
I was going to try and find that out on my visit to the Taco Bell side of the operation and I was going to try and be as
objective as possible!
For this review, I decided to rank the establishment on the
following: Ambiance, Quality of product, Hygiene and Service. Each received a score of 1 = get me to a hospital fast to
10 = I’ve died and gone to heaven. (A score of 5 is a take it or leave it place
to eat). I also added a few comments to support the score. OK. That’s the
ground rules – now it’s time to eat!
When I pulled into the parking area on a Monday at xx pm, I
found that there were a few cars parked in the lot. When I walked up to the
order counter, my order was taken immediately by a server and then within a few
minutes it was ready to go. I was asked if I wanted one of two hot sauces and I
said yes. The lady, whose name I recall was Glenis, was very nice and engaging.
Now onto the scoring…
Ambiance – 5
Well, the place is colorful and bright! I’ll give
them that much. It’s also laid out nicely meaning I could find everything I
needed. The lack of bathrooms hurt the score a bit. (I think all restaurants should
have bathrooms as part of the warm and homey feeling that every business
strives for). Other than that, I felt quite comfortable eating there.
Quality – 6
This category is a big deal to me. (Frankly, if the product
sucks, who cares about any of the rest)? I had ordered the two hard shell tacos
and I felt the toppings were more than adequate once you’ve factored in the
overall cost. (I mean at a buck a throw, what do you want)? I also edged the
score up a bit because the overall taste was acceptable! The only thing
missing, I felt, was the lack a selection of regular french fries on the menu
board. They offer something called 'cinnamon twists' instead. I'm not sure what those are exactly.
Hygiene – 8
Whenever I enter an eatery, especially one that is setup for
heavy traffic, I pay close attention to the condiments section and other surfaces like counter and tabletops.
If neither of these look to be well maintained, then that’s my last visit. So,
it was with some relief when I saw that everything was pretty much spotless.
Good job!
Service – 8
In this category, I’m looking at a couple of things. First
off, I check out the overall appearance of the counter staff. Do they look
clean and professional? In this case yes, my server looked very neat and clean.
I also tried to catch a glimpse of the people who were preparing my food and I
noticed they all had uniforms and looked like they knew what they were doing. Overall,
everything was shipshape here too.
Ok! Let’s see now…the over all average came out to 6.75. Not
really all that bad, though there is always some room for improvement, in my
opinion. I think the addition of bathrooms would be really nice. Also, some
improvements in the contents of the taco would help. Maybe if they expanded the
condiment selection with choices like shredded cheese, chopped tomatoes and
lettuce then that would help. (I think I would even be willing to pay a little
extra if that was offered). Even so, the bottom line is that I will plan on
eating there occasionally.
My next review will be center on the other half of this
business – the KFC side! I can hardly wait! Please visit TaneyServices.com for other reviews.
Update: July 2012 - According to inside sources, the Taco Bell portion of the Taco Bell/ KFC has been closed due to management's decision not to carry some of the new required items. This establishment will be only a KFC from now on!
Update: July 2012 - According to inside sources, the Taco Bell portion of the Taco Bell/ KFC has been closed due to management's decision not to carry some of the new required items. This establishment will be only a KFC from now on!
Disclaimer: This review is the sole opinion of the
author of this post and may not reflect the views of the community at large. While
the author tries to be as objective as possible, he understands that one visit
top an eatery does not fairly portray the establishment’s quality over a period
of time. He is also a lay person with no credentials covering the food or
restaurant industry whatsoever. In point of fact, every business in the Forsyth
area deserves your patronage in these troubled times.