Why is Taco Bell in Tyler, Texas Closing Super Early Right Now?

This past Saturday I was contemplating Taco Bell for dinner. (If I'm honest I contemplate Taco Bell for dinner more often than seems reasonable.)

It was rather rainy and icky outside, and so the lazy side of me decided to order via Door Dash. Or was it Waitr? One of them. ANYway...

I was surprised to see the app had closed next to the Taco Bell listing and I was sincerely perplexed. I mean of all the places you'd expect to NOT be closed, it would be Taco Bell, right?

But then I figured that perhaps it was because Taco Bell was working out some contractual details with the delivery app.

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Nope.

But it wasn't until I noticed some local folks discussing that they'd not been able to get their 'Taco Bell fix' that I finally decided to give one of the Taco Bell locations a call to find out what is going on.

There's a good chance you've heard about the labor shortages in East Texas with which we've been dealing.

Honestly, our hearts go out to some of our East Texas businesses struggling to find the employees they need. I'm sure that's been a challenge for Taco Bell, too.

I called one of the Taco Bell locations on South Broadway to find out definitively. The friendly lady I spoke with confirmed what some of us had wondered. The Taco Bell stores have narrowed their store hours to deal with a food shortage.

She said they're currently TWO trucks behind where they'd normally be. And so, in order to make it all work, they've been operating on limited hours.

But, it's not just in Tyler or Longview, or East Texas, generally speaking. She said this is something Taco Bell has been compelled to do ALL over the country.

I asked her if she knew when their hours would be expanded and she said that they've given them no end date on this.

So until then friends, we'll just have to get our Taco Bell cravings satiated a little earlier in the day. They're currently open from 8 a.m. until 9 p.m. That's, of course, a shock to those who rely on Taco Bell to get their late-night fast food fix.

OK. Now I need some comfort food.