Some Taco Bell Locations Go Cashless, Close Dining Rooms

If you're heading to Taco Bell in a certain part of the U.S., don't plan on enjoying your Crunchwrap Supreme and Baja Blast in the dining room. Taco Bell restaurants in Oakland, California have been forced to suspend indoor dining indefinitely and move exclusively to cashless payments due to ongoing safety concerns amid a spike in violent crime.

According to the Daily Mail and NBC Bay Area, customers headed to four of the five Taco Bell locations across the Bay Area city area are now greeted with signs hanging from windows reading, "Dining room closed." In addition to switching to drive-thru service only, the locations, all operated by franchiser Diversified Restaurant Group (DRG), have also enacted cash-only payment policies. The fifth Taco Bell location in the area, a combination Taco Bell and KFC located on Telegraph Avenue and operated by a different franchiser, remains open for indoor dining. However, due to the venue's small size, it only has limited indoor seating. The location has also switched to cashless payments only.

Taco Bell confirmed the closures in a statement to ABC7 News: "Providing a safe environment for team members and customers is the priority at Taco Bell restaurants. The franchise owner and operator has informed us that they are consistently evaluating and working to ensure a safe environment by implementing procedures, such as closing dining rooms, and hiring security guards, and they have taken extra measures to meet with local law enforcement."

The closures are the result of ongoing crime in the area, including a series of robberies. Crime records viewed by the Daily Mail showed that in 2024 alone, three of the Bay Area's Taco Bells have been struck a combined half dozen times, with the 35th Avenue in East Oakland location having been hit four times since November.

Amid the relentless crimes, the owner of one local franchise, who has threatened to close if the security situation doesn't improve, requested a meeting with Oakland police officials to discuss the security crisis. That meeting reportedly took place last month, with police having since stepped up patrols around certain locations. A follow-up meeting with the franchisee is planned for later this week.

Addressing the concerns, councilmember Janani Ramachandran, who represents the Laurel District where one of the restaurants is located, confirmed they are working to address an increase in crime. Ramachandran said, per NBC Bay Area, "I want to see every business small, medium, large really be able to thrive. We are working very cohesively with OPD to see how we can increase OPD presence in the area."