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Customers wait in a line that wraps around the parking lot while waiting to go through the drive-thru lane at Taco Bell Thursday afternoon. “I told my friend, if you want Taco Bell, I’m willing to wait,” said Wailuku’s Tim Pang (in red Jeep). Lines for the popular fast-food joint have snaked through the parking lot since its long-awaited reopening last week. The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo

It’s good news all around for Central Maui Taco Bell fans as the Kahului eatery reopened and an additional location is in the works for customers to get their burrito and Crunchwrap fix.

Taco Bell on Kamehameha Avenue reopened June 18 after about five months of construction. A restaurant spokeswoman said this week that another Taco Bell is in the permitting stage.

The new location will be at the Hookele Shopping Center, which houses the new Safeway, said Leah Allen, director of marketing for TD Food Group Inc. on Oahu, whose ownership and operations include Hawaii’s Taco Bell and Pizza Hut restaurants.

TD is also a subsidiary of Restaurant Brands of Hawaii Ltd.

Allen was unable to say when the new restaurant would open, as the company does not have control over the permitting process. But once they receive permits, it usually takes 120 to 160 days to build, she said.

Kahului Taco Bell crew members pose outside the eatery on June 18. The restaurant reopened last week after a roughly five-month closure while the building was demolished and rebuilt. TD FOOD GROUP photo

For now, customers will have to be patient with long lines at the drive-thru, which has been packed with cars snaking through the parking lot late into the night.

“Kahului Taco Bell opened with a bang and as expected, we are extremely busy due to the pent-up demand,” Allen said. “Our Maui team has done a fantastic job servicing customers thus far.”

This week, the Kahului location will begin its “BellHop” program to help expedite drive-thru service. Restaurant team members will meet guests at their car window to take their order, along with contactless payment, before customers head to the drive-thru window to pick up their food, Allen explained.

She added that all of the employees transferred to the Taco Bell locations in Kihei and Lahaina during the construction have returned to the Kahului restaurant.

Taco Bell is also hiring crew members and managers for many of its locations, she said. Applicants should. go to tacobellhawaii.com/careers.

The Lahaina Taco Bell and Pizza Hut location will also “undergo a full transformation”; the company is in the permitting stage.

Allen previously said improvement work is being done in accordance with an “asset transformation plan” that started a few years ago. Some Oahu Taco Bells also were upgraded last year, according to TD Food Group’s website.

Allen said that all of the Maui Taco Bell locations have in-restaurant seating. They are also encouraging ordering through the Taco Bell app to earn points.

The Kahului Taco Bell’s drive-thru is open daily from 6 a.m. to midnight and from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. in its dining room.

* Melissa Tanji can be reached at mtanji@mauinews.com.

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