Taco Bell halves Doncaster presence after second closure in a week
By Jack Roberts
December 1, 2023

A second branch of American fast-food restaurant chain Taco Bell has closed in Doncaster, coming days after its Thorne location unexpectedly shut down.

Earlier this week, an anonymous source told the Doncaster Free Press the Wheatley Hall Road branch was to be closed from Wednesday.

According to the source, staff were given just a week’s notice of the branch’s closure.

They said: “One week notice just before Christmas is inhumane. Loyal staff members who have worked there since it first opened have just been dismissed.”

The branch no longer appears on Taco Bell’s website and is marked as ‘permanently closed’ on Google, which has reduced the chain’s number of Doncaster locations to two – half of its previous presence.

It is believed Taco Bell do not operate the branches themselves, instead delegating them to franchise operators.

Founded in California in 1962, Taco Bell opened its first branch in the UK in 2010 and now boasts over 130 locations across the country.

Before the closures, Doncaster had the UK’s largest number of Taco Bell branches outside of London.

The Wheatley Hall Road branch opened in July 2021, while the Thorne branch was opened in November that year.

Other Doncaster locations include the Frenchgate Shopping Centre in the city centre and the Herten Triangle at Lakeside.

Taco Bell UK have been contacted for comment.