Newfoundland’s newest Taco Bell is so popular, city staff have had to intervene

Long drive-thru lineups at a newly reopened Taco Bell have slowed traffic for days, forcing Mount Pearl to step in with traffic control. Garret Barry reports.

MOUNT PEARL, N.L. — Legions of excited Taco Bell customers are causing traffic headaches in Mount Pearl, N.L., where city council has intervened to keep vehicles moving during the restaurant’s opening weekend.

Commonwealth Avenue in Mount Pearl has seen traffic back ups for three days straight since the city’s Taco Bell location opened last Saturday. Some customers reported on social media that they waited hours in a lineup on the street before even entering the restaurant property to place their drive-thru order.

“Please TACO your time, it’s NACHO average traffic delay,” the City of Mount Pearl wrote in a notice shared on Facebook, alerting drivers that it was going to prohibit left-hand turns into and out of the restaurant to control traffic flow.

The city also encouraged customers to carpool in an attempt to reduce the number of vehicles waiting on the street. Traffic back ups have regularly impacted nearby intersections since the restaurant opened.

Even after lunchtime on Monday, customers reported waiting more than 30 minutes for their food — and even longer for drive-thru service.

“It’s just something different, something we haven’t had in a long time,” said Kyle Williams, who skipped the drive-thru and parked in an adjacent lot to walk into the restaurant.

“It was here a couple of years ago, came and gone. But nice to have again.”

On Monday, municipal enforcement officers from Mount Pearl worked to maintain access to a funeral home roughly 200 metres down the street.

Restauranteur Todd Perrin, owner of Rabble in downtown St. John’s, said he hopes local independent restaurants are not completely forgotten in the fast-food craze.

“Disposable dining dollars are at a premium, more now than they’ve ever been,” he said.

The restaurant industry in downtown St. John’s was hit with multiple closures in 2024, and Perrin said the headwinds have remained high in 2025.

He said labour and supply costs have risen, and sit-down, independent restaurants like his have lost market share to chains and franchises.

While acknowledging that franchises and chains also employ local residents, Perrin believes there are compelling reasons to support independent businesses. He says they have a greater impact on the economy and culture of a city.

“The public needs to decide what kind of communities they want to live in, and if they want to live in fast-food franchise dominated cities and towns,” he said.

“Ultimately, the customer gets to decide.”