By Genine Hopkins
Harrison has lost a few restaurants over the years, more recently with the closing of the
Budd Lake Bar. But a Grand Blanc restaurant group – Great Lakes Taco Bell LLC – has a goal
of bringing Taco Bell back to Harrison, ending a nearly two decade absence of Taco Bell in
Harrison.
Those who are newcomers to the area might not remember the Taco Bell situated inside
the gas station at the corner of Townline and Old 127. When their license from the YUM Brands
that was Taco Bell’s parent corporation was up for renewal, Harrison’s iteration, like so many
other Taco Bells located inside gas stations, was rejected; the company’s growth depended on
full, free-standing restaurants and is the reason why the Clare Taco Bell/KFC duo was built
(previously Taco Bell was in the Shell station in Clare). Then when Mariane Inc., the franchise
operator in a large swath of Mid and Northern Michigan including the Clare location, struck a
deal with the KFC franchise owner (headquartered in Mount Pleasant), Harrison lost its KFC in
the Harrison Shell station as well to clear the way for the Clare “duo” restaurant. Harrison had
lost two of its restaurants in a short period of time.
Enter Great Lakes Taco Bell, LLC. As Robert Grabowski, Great Lakes Taco Bell LLC
and parent company Dortch Enterprises’ CFO (Chief Financial Officer) tells the Review, his
company had noticed many smaller cities and towns in Michigan were ignored by Taco Bell
franchises, leaving a void for so many people who had to travel longer distances to “get their fix”
of Taco Bell.
“Even before the pandemic, we decided to invest in these smaller communities, and
began to build restaurants in so many smaller locations like Montrose, Vassar, Cass City, Duran,
Holly, and one that should be opening soon in Oxford. Harrison fit that bill perfectly as well,
and we began to work with Kari Garber of Harrison Realty to find a suitable location,”
Grabowski said.
After narrowing their search to several locations, Great Lakes Taco Bell LLC decided on
one, rather small location: on the property of the old DNR building next to Ken’s Landing in the
downtown area. While small, it fits in with their goal of having the location be convenient for
the most people, from those attending the Clare County Fair and campers at Wilson State Park to
local, downtown residents, who could still walk to the location if they wanted to do so. An offer
to purchase was drafted and working with both Garber and Harrison’s City Manager Justin
Cavanaugh, the matter will be taken under advisement by Harrison’s Planning Commission at the
March 12th meeting.
Grabowski told the Review that the business would potentially create around 30 new jobs,
some would be part-time positions and a few full-time positions. The plans seek a restaurant
with 24 tables for indoor dining if it is approved by the Planning Commission. He is not sure of
the exact hours of operations for the new restaurant, but Yum Brands tends to require a specific
minimum to hit most rush times, including breakfast, a menu Taco Bell started almost a decade
ago. Grabowski anticipates the majority of the traffic will be drive-thru, and there will be dedicated “windows” for app ordering pick-ups and third-party delivery services such as Grub Hub.
“We hope that our investment in the City of Harrison will become a catalyst for
continued development here,” Grabowski stated, “Although our Great Lakes Taco Bell, LLC is a
larger franchise, with about 42 restaurants currently in operation, we still are a very family-
oriented organization, third generation in fact, and we want to build a partnership with the
Harrison community that will be mutually beneficial.”