What is Taco Bell Cantina? Lawsuit explained ahead of Indianapolis opening

The first-ever Taco Bell Cantina restaurant is set to open on Saturday, December 23, 2023, despite a lawsuit seeking to block the opening. The Cantina is a new-age concept restaurant that is expected to be the next big thing for the fast-food chain. It will serve the brand's iconic menu items along with other exclusive foods and alcoholic beverages from early morning to past midnight.

However, a recent lawsuit filed in the Marion County Superior Court thinks otherwise. It was filed by the Alfarah Restaurant Group, owner of a franchisee in the food court of the Circle Center Mall area of downtown Indianapolis.

The lawsuit states that the new Cantina restaurant is located less than one-tenth of a mile from the Circle Mall and would affect the franchise's business. The suit further suggests that the new restaurant violates the Indiana Deceptive Franchise Practices Act by affecting the other business.

The Cantina restaurant will serve iconic items and other exclusive foods and drinks (Image via T.B.)

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All you need to know about the Taco Bell Cantina lawsuit

Like all other franchisee owners, Alfarah Restaurant Group seemed to have first taken the issue to Taco Bell Cantina restaurant. He seemed to have an issue as he was informed that the restaurant was only approved on W. Washington Street because similar to other mall locations his franchise was being considered "captive."

For those wondering, "captive" locations can be described as places like airports, malls, bus stations, service plazas, sports centers, and other similar locations. These are places where people often gather for specific needs and requirements. Refuting the chain's claims, Alfarah Restaurant Group argued that such details about the location were never mentioned anywhere in the lease agreement.

The franchisee-owner of the Circle Center Mall area filed the lawsuit in November (Image via T.B.)

The franchisee owner, at that time, had also stressed that his restaurant not only attracted people shopping in the mall but individuals working at nearby offices as well. However, when the issue still couldn't be solved, the franchisee-owner filed a lawsuit seeking a block on the opening of Cantina restaurant this November.

As of now, the litigation is yet to be heard in court. Flynn Restaurant Group - operator of the Cantina restaurant - was expected to respond to the suit by December 22, 2023. However, they filed a motion and got the expected response time extended to over 30 more days.

Soon after the motion was approved, Flynn Restaurant Group officially announced that it would open the Cantina Restaurant in downtown Indianapolis on Saturday.

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Taco Bell Cantina set to open on December 23, 2023

Taco Bell first announced its plans for the Cantina restaurant in the summer of 2023. The late-night concept, which was aimed at making Indianapolis similar to other lively regions like Las Vegas, Chicago, and Nashville, is finally coming true on December 23, 2023.

The upcoming Cantina restaurant is located on the ground floor of the Lieber Building on 24 W. Washington St. near The Capital Grille. As per Flynn Restaurant Group, the restaurant will be ready to welcome guests starting at 10:30 am on Saturday.

The Cantina restaurant is set for an official opening on December 23 (Image via Taco Bell)

Operating similarly to the regular Taco Bell restaurants, the Cantina serves the same lip-smacking American-Mexican menu. However, they also serve other additional features, including:

• Designated areas for pick-ups, dine-in, and deliveries
• Live music evenings to day-long sports and other popular events on TV
• Late Hour opening time of up to 20 hours between 8 am to 4 am
• Alcohol Services - Beer, Piña Colada, Orange Creamsicles, and Taco Bell's frozen drinks with liquor
• Cantina-exclusive food items

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Considering the current pace of the situation, the opening of the new restaurant seems to be pretty much guaranteed unless other legal developments arise in the next two days.