The Taco Maker

New Bern Ave. to the right

While my car was in the shop for an oil change and new brake pads, I went next door to a fast food restaurant to eat lunch and pass some time. The restaurant is called The Taco Maker, and like its name suggests, it serves Americanized Mexican fast food. The restaurant is a chain and may have some locations in the Midwest.




The building it is in used to be an Arby's. However, when a new Arby's opened up 5 miles east at a shopping center in Knightdale, this one closed down. The building lay empty for well over a year. During that dormant time, a taco truck would stop in that parking lot and the workers at the car shop would get their lunch. I even got some tacos from the taco truck and they were damned good. They were probably some of the best tacos I ever had. I especially loved the green sauce they put on it.



Now that the Taco Maker is here, the taco truck doesn't come around anymore. I've eaten at the Taco Maker a few times. It's not that great. It is an imitation Taco Bell. The menu and prices are about the same. The food tastes so-so. What I particularly don't like about the place is that they microwave their food. The cheese becomes mushy and gooey. I find the preparation method to be quite unappetizing. I don't go out of my way to eat there, but on days like today when I have time to kill, I'll pay The Taco Maker a visit.