St. John’s University’s Dining Services department recently added Taco Bell to their Dine On Campus website as an on-campus dining location, although the restaurant remains closed. Taco Bell is expected to reopen the week of Jan. 23 in the D’Angelo Center food court, according to a Spring 2023 “Hours of Operation” sheet shared by St. John’s Now in a Jan. 18 Instagram post.

“Here are the dining hours for the Spring 2023 semester,” the post’s caption read. “And yes, Taco Bell is opening next week.”

St. John’s Dining shared a new Spring 2023 “Hours of Operation” sheet via an Instagram Story on Jan. 20 providing no specific opening date. The image states that Taco Bell is “Coming Soon.”

Student Government, Inc. President Ethan Burrell could not officially confirm the supposed reopening date, but told The Torch it would open “soon.” The University formerly housed Taco Bell in the D’Angelo Center, where it is expected to return.

Taco Bell previously had an on-campus location located on the first floor of the D’Angelo Center as part of the food court — containing Taco Bell, Smoked, The Sweet Shoppe and Mondo Subs. The food court closed down temporarily during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, but the locations were permanently closed as of Spring 2021.

Dine On Campus provides information concerning the campus’ dining areas, operating hours and menus. Taco Bell was removed from the website following its closure. It was added this semester to the website’s “Menus and Locations” tab as an “Additional Location.”

Although Taco Bell now appears on the website, the reappearance comes with no further details on whether the restaurant will reopen soon. The only description given is that Taco Bell is currently “closed.”

Taco Bell reserves the same location it previously did before its closure. Tables and chairs have already been set up on the first floor of DAC. While the area is equipped with kitchen appliances, the restaurant is currently under construction and littered. No permanent Taco Bell sign has been installed; the restaurant name is printed on a poster attached to the wall.

Burrell hinted toward Taco Bell’s possible return at the last SGi assembly meeting of the Fall 2022 semester on Nov. 28. Burrell explained his hopes to bring back Taco Bell, potentially between late January and early February 2023. 

Considering the D’Angelo Center food court’s closure, student on-campus dining areas include the Marillac Cafeteria, Law School Cafe and Montgoris Dining Hall. The D’Angelo Center’s first floor currently does not provide any dining options. However, the third floor houses Starbucks and the newly opened RoboBurger.

Following the return of Taco Bell on the website, the University’s Dining Services department has not made any official statement announcing the reopening of Taco Bell on campus, aside from the “Hours of Operation” sheet.

This story was updated Jan. 20 to include Dining Services’ latest Instagram Story.