Austin is set to open its first Taco Bell late Tuesday morning, and the first 100 customers through the door will walk away with more than a full stomach. Each will receive a golden ticket good for up to four free tacos a week for an entire year. The new restaurant sits at 1406 4th St. NW and opens its doors at 11:30 a.m.
Before the doors open to the public, Border Foods will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11 a.m. to mark the grand opening, according to kaaltv.com. The golden tickets, distributed only to the first 100 customers, are redeemable for up to four free tacos per week for a full year, per the same report.
A Familiar Playbook for Border Foods Openings
This is not the first time Border Foods has leaned on a golden-ticket giveaway to draw a crowd for a new location. At the company's Ramsey, Minnesota, opening, the first 100 customers received an exclusive golden ticket good for up to five free tacos a week for a year, according to Border Foods, which called that restaurant a milestone as the company's 100th Taco Bell location in Minnesota.
The exact terms of these promotions have shifted from city to city. In Box Elder, South Dakota, the first 100 guests in line received golden tickets entitling them to one free taco a day for a year, as reported by KOTA, which also noted that restaurant's formal ribbon-cutting ceremony at its 685 Cimarron location. That outlet added that the promotion was valid at any Taco Bell location operated by Border Foods.
At a Carver, Minnesota, grand opening, the stakes were even bigger: Border Foods gave golden tickets for a year of free tacos to the first 200 guests rather than 100, the company said in a post describing the crowd as having “even more reason to hustle.”
From Downey to Downtown Austin
Taco Bell's roots trace back more than six decades. The first Taco Bell restaurant opened in 1962 in Downey, California, according to kaaltv.com. The chain has since grown into a fast-food fixture, with more than 8,200 locations across the United States today.
That growth includes a strong regional footprint close to home. Taco Bell counts more than 70 locations in Minnesota and 42 in Iowa, per kaaltv.com, making Tuesday's Austin opening another addition to an already dense Midwest presence.
