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Taco Bell breaks ground in Washington town per teen's request

May 14, 2013

Taco Bell has added another notch to its direct and creative marketing strategy by breaking ground in the town of Othello, Wash., after local teen Zeke Castro asked for a restaurant to be built there.

Taco Bell surprised Castro last weekend by sending a Taco Bell mobile truck to Othello and giving away more than 2,500 Doritos Locos Tacos. Company representatives also held a "surprise" groundbreaking for the new unit, which is scheduled to open in the fall by franchisee Craig Langel.

Currently, the closest Taco Bell is in Moses Lake, Wash., about 90 minutes away.

Castro contacted Taco Bell's development team last year requesting that a restaurant be built in his town. "When you use your voice, people will listen," Castro told the crowd after the surprise was revealed.

Last year, Taco Bell airlifted 10,000 tacos to residents in Bethel, Ala., after a rumor announcing a new unit there proved to be an Internet hoax between two feuding residents.

Taco Bell also created a customized Speedo for a high school swimmer from Illinois who requested one via the company's Facebook page.

Taco Bell is aiming to open 2,000 new stores in the U.S. throughout the next 10 years.

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