Construction is scheduled to start within a couple of weeks for the new Taco Bueno to be located at the intersection of US 75 and East Trudgeon Street.Ground was officially broken Wednesday morning with franchise owner Rick Verity on hand to announce the new facility. He was joined by a number of Henryetta chamber members and city officials. The site for the new fast food operation has been cleared of an abandoned service station and auto repair shop. Demolitionis also progressing on a metal building just to the east of the projected restaurant.
Verity heads up Pamax, one of the fastest growing quick service companies in Oklahoma. He is based in Tulsa, operating two franchises, Burger King and Taco Bueno.
Henryetta's Taco Bueno is going to be the second one in Oklahoma. He has four others in Arkansas. Verity's Burger King franchise is located in 30 communities around Oklahoma.
"Taco Bueno was voted number one in the country in Mexican for fast food restaurants," Verity said Wednesday. To have number 186 right here in Henryetta is exciting," he said.
He said Henryetta had been looked at for some time and felt the timing is right. "I met with the Taco Bueno CEO last week and we drove by the site and he was excited." He pointed out the traffic along US 75 as a great draw for his franchise.
Verity moved to Oklahoma in 1998 to be the head of Pamax. Prior to that, he was the vice-president and region director of a Syracuse-based corporation that owns and operates more than 250 Burger King restaurants.
When asked about opening a Burger King here, Verity said it was not in the immediate plans but did not rule it out in the future.