APRIL FOOL: Taco Shell sails into the Waterside Place market

The Taco Shell experiment in Lakewood Ranch is about to begin.

While Waterside Place has no fast food restaurants on land, it is about to get its first entry on the water.

Taco Shell, which is modeled loosely after a nationally known fast food monster chain, has signed a contract to float its concept to those living along Kingfisher Lake or those who come to the area to enjoy the many special events that the entertainment hub has to offer.

"While there are many food trucks that cater to the crowds during special events, there were no 365-days-a-year establishments that deliver fast food," said Tom Alless, the CEO of Taco Shell. "And we certainly are no threat to the many high-quality sit-down restaurants all along Waterside Place. We are mostly a hit-and-run kind of business."

Alless was asked if the convenience of a fast food restaurant was being lost by having the restaurant on the water.

"Not at all," Alless said. "We are going to have four shuttle stations at various spots around the lake, including one right in Waterside Place. It's a free shuttle that will zip our customers to the restaurant in about five minutes.

"Each of the shuttle stations will have a self-service kiosk, so your order will be placed before you ever launch. Then once you are handed your order at our float-through window, you will be back on land in another five minutes to enjoy your meal."

Of concern to several Waterside Place residents was that Taco Shell will be able to serve alcoholic beverages. Alless said his company, which has 42 restaurants in 12 states, has paid what he called "excessive" licensing fees to the county to be able to serve alcoholic beverages.

"If this boat was going to be anchored in one spot, I wouldn't be as concerned," said Nautique's Serenity Laust. "But it can float up and down the lake was much as it wants. Then you add alcohol to the mix and you have people getting drunk, making noise, and who knows what else, just outside your lanai.

"And I understand they will have a bar on deck."

Actually, Taco Shell will have a small deck area that can accommodate up to 30 people for those who want to have a drink or a meal on the lake. They can exit the shuttle and schedule a time to be picked up. It will be first-come, first-served, for the deck seats.

Alles said his business appreciates the neighborhood concerns and he said the restaurant's staff will make sure customers adhere to code of conduct that will be posted to maintain the peaceful nature of the surroundings. He said other restaurants in the chain have bigger decks for live music, but that was a concession he made during permitting.

Another concern of local residents is the possibility of leaking grease into the lake since many of the menu items involve deep frying.

"We have so many fish, alligators, turtles, and ducks that could be influenced negatively here," said the Row of Waterside's Jack Kousteau. "People protect what they love. We have to stay vigilant about protecting our waters and our wildlife. I can just picture a thousand taco wrappers floating out there."

Speaking of ducks, those who check out the Taco Shell menu will find an interesting entry — BBWD tacos (which stands for black-bellied whistling-ducks).

Alles said there is an abundance of black-bellied whistling ducks in the area and they have obtained a permit to "harvest" them for taco meat.

That was another point of contention when Taco Shell was going through permitting with the county.

"I would like to say that it flew right through the consent agenda," Alles said. "I was worried the Audubon people would get involved, but we dodged the bullet there. I just don't understand the difference between protecting a duck or a chicken."

Taco Shell Manager Chip Alltey said he will be working with a staff of a maximum of eight at a time on the boat. There will be two servers, four cooks, one bartender, and a "captain" to drive the boat. An early morning food prep staff will consist of six employees and a late night cleaning staff of five will work off-hours.

Alltey said he plans to carry about 50 full-time employees. He said the staff has been hired and is ready to go when the boat/restaurant arrives April 1.

"We made the decision to go to the cruise ports in Tampa when we started hiring employees," Alltey said. "We can't have our employees getting sea-sick, so we wanted folks with experience on the water."

There also are plans to add a second boat, which would be available to cater to neighborhood parties or even Waterside Place special events, actually docking right at the site.

If Taco Shell is success, plans are being made to open a Burger Queen on Kingfisher Lake as well.

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