Valet experience – for fourth meal
When is the last time you had your car parked by a valet service? Unless you are so VIP that you eat out at the fanciest restaurants every night, you’ve probably only experienced valet service on special occasions when you spring for that upscale dining experience.
But how about a valet service at Taco Bell?
Pairs well with with a Baja Blast
Believe it or not, that’s exactly what’s happening at the Encina Grande shopping center in the Walnut Creek neighborhood of East Bay, California. The shopping center is currently in the midst of an $18 million redevelopment, which, though promising, is jamming up traffic around the center and severely limiting parking – normally a nightmare situation for businesses.
Taco Bell’s construction solution
Instead of just throwing up their hands and waiting it out, like most businesses do when their neighborhoods are under construction, the Encina Grande shopping center decided to be proactive about keeping customers coming through the door despite the mess of traffic. They set up a professional valet service, whose kiosk is just yards from the door of the Taco Bell.
So don’t worry – the same guys frying your quesadilla are not driving your precious vehicle – but you can, in fact, skip the drive through and have a valet park your car for you while you go to Taco Bell, or any of the other businesses in the center.
Live the VIP Life
The service is being offered free of charge during peak hours of the midday and evening, and has apparently been quite successful for keeping customers coming. Said the manager of nearby pizza restaurant, “we really haven’t noticed any impact on our business to the negative at all” – thanks, in large part, to the valet service.
It’s a slight unconventional gig for valet attendant Michael Sabetti, who reported that he often gets “weird comments” such as “what are you guys doing here?”
Despite the seeming incongruity of having a luxury service paired with a fast food chain, it certainly does help Taco Bell fulfill one of its mottos, “Live the VIP Life.” What’s more, it shows how businesses can come up with creative solutions, even in the fact of factors, such as construction, over which they have little control. Props to Encina Grande for their inspired problem-solving.
