The first Taco Bell in Chatham could be open by the end of the year.
The restaurant is under construction at the site of the former Hardee’s on North Main Street. LucWork Enterprises Inc., a Peoria-based Taco Bell franchise owner, will be the restaurant’s owner and operator.
“Obviously weather can play into it, but the target time frame is by the end of December,” said Mark Witzke, LucWork chief operating officer.
The restaurant will be LucWork’s 18th Taco Bell franchise. The company also operates three Taco Bells in Springfield, on North Dirksen Parkway, Adlai Stevenson Drive and West White Oaks Drive.
“We’ve been looking at Chatham for a number of years,” Witzke said. “It looks like a very promising trade area for us. It was just a matter of finding the right location and getting a deal done.”
LucWork, which has operated Taco Bell restaurants for more than 40 years, continues to look for other potential sites for new restaurants, with a goal to have more than 20 locations.
“We’ve got other pieces of property we’re looking at,” Witzke said. “We’ll continue to grow as appropriate.”
The Chatham Hardee’s at 331 N. Main St. closed suddenly in February 2024. It was one of five central Illinois Hardee’s locations to close at the time.