Taco Bell — Restaurant in Spokane

This place has made some very substantial improvements. I used to have consistently horrible experiences at this location and even gave them a 1-star review a while back. I even stopped going to this location altogether for several months. My previous complaints included:

Staff would openly mock customers in front of other customers. Purchased drinks weren’t received and staff would venomously fight you if you asked to get what you paid for. Sometimes you wouldn’t get your order at all after waiting 40 minutes without a refund because the staff didn’t know how to issue refunds. Regularly getting the wrong order while staff would refuse to look at your receipt showing what you should have got. Old potatoes that were hard as a rock and in no way soft. They even clanked on the table when they fell.

After some friends of mine died from COVID, I found myself not having time to cook. I found myself at Taco Bell again after a long hiatus. I wasn’t looking forward to it, but found myself pleasantly surprised.

Staff proactively asks customers if they purchased drinks from the kiosk. Staff is willing to look at your receipt now and correct any problems. Errors are dramatically reduced and aren’t an expectation anymore. It’s almost always correct. Staff actually apologizes to customers they have wronged and don’t seem to mock or belittle their customers anymore. Potato Soft Tacos look and taste fresh and no longer feels like you’re eating a fossil. Order fulfillment is dramatically faster and seems to be matching McDonald turnaround times. Employees who aren’t actively busy have offered to open the door for me as I’m currently on crutches. Staff is pleasant and engage with their customers instead of avoiding them.

It seems the staff is almost entirely new. I only see a few employees from the dark ages of this location. The senior staff seem to have given themselves an attitude adjustment and I no longer dread them helping me. The new staff seem to take their job seriously.

My expectations for fast food is low, so it says a lot about how dissatisfied I am when I take the time to complain about my experiences at Taco Bell. It also says a lot when I take the time to say they are doing a good job. I don’t spent a lot of money there per visit, but I spend a lot of money there over the course of a month. The bus stop is right there in front and I live two blocks away. So while each sale from me is low, I often go there several times a day, several times a week - and this adds up over time. It’s easy for me to run in and out for something to eat and be home quickly so when I was willing to walk a half a mile to McDonalds instead of two blocks to Taco Bell because I hated going there so much, it made it difficult for me to get something to eat quickly. I’m glad they have fixed all of my complaints. While I prefer burgers, it’s best if I order something vegetarian to reduce my cholesterol levels. Now that I am comfortable going to this Taco Bell again, fast food is truly fast again thanks to their improved order turnaround times and how close they are to my home.

Good job new employees and old! Once a place goes bad, they usually stay bad - so it’s really refreshing to see this Taco Bell turn itself around...

The behavior of the staff was incredibly discourteous and unprofessional. I had placed two orders, both of which were ready for collection. However, I was informed that I could only collect one at a time and would need to rejoin the drive-through line to collect the second. When I queried the staff member on duty as to why I couldn't collect both orders simultaneously, she simply stated it wasn't possible.

Complying with this unusual request, I joined the now lengthened drive-through queue. I noted that a large truck ahead of me had placed two separate orders and was seemingly allowed to collect both without the need to circle back through the drive-through. When I reached the collection window, I politely inquired if the truck had been allowed to collect both orders at once. I was told that they had to follow the same procedure I had.

Suspecting that this wasn't the case, I checked as I was leaving and noticed the truck was no longer in the queue, indicating they hadn't been required to rejoin. It was clear that the staff member had not been truthful with me.

Confused and frustrated by this experience, I decided to call the manager, Lewis, to seek clarification. When explaining the situation and the discourteous and deceptive behavior of his staff, rather than addressing the issue, Lewis began to argue with me aggressively.

The manager on duty was Lewis, working the...

Staff was extremely rude and unprofessional. I had two orders, and both were ready they told me I am only allowed to pick up one order and that I am going to have to drive back in the drive-through. When I asked the lady that was working why she couldn't just give me the second I that it was ready she just said she can't. So, of course, I obliged and went back in the drive thru that now had 5 cars in it. There was a big truck in front of me that I could hear ordered 2 different orders, and when they pulled up to the window, I was allowed to get both orders without driving back through the drive thru. When I pulled up to the window, I politely asked the lady working if they were able to get their order without driving around, and she told me they had to do the same as we did. I thought maybe I was wrong, so on my way out, I looked at the drive-thru to see if I had mistaken, but they weren't there. She had lied directly to my face. I was very confused about this interaction, so I called the manager, Lewis, to possibly get some answers. I told Lewis about what had happened and about how rude, disrespectful, and dishonest his employees were, he started arguing with me in an aggressive way.

Manager: Louis (Night Manager @1 AM on a Sunday) 3/3/2024

Taco Bell Address: 1202 N Monroe St,...