Yellow flyers announcing the opening of the fast food restaurant started showing up in this southwest Alaska community of 6,200 people last week, complete with instructions of how to apply for a job.KYUK reports that it turned out to be an elaborate hoax, with a fake phone number and website listed on the flyer.
Denali Foods Inc., which operates all Taco Bells in Alaska, says there are no plans to open a location in Bethel.
It's not known who is behind the hoax or why.The residents of a small town in Alaska shed a nacho tear Thursday after they learned that advertisements for a new Taco Bell were a hoax.
Yellow flyers had been posted on bulletin boards around Bethel, Alaska, population 6,000, advertising employment at a Taco Bell restaurant. The flyers included a fake website and phone number, and caused a buzz in a town that has no fast- food restaurants.
Bonnie Bradbury, administrative assistant at the Bethel Chamber of Commerce, said, "I think it caused a stir of excitement. We probably have a dozen mom-and-pop type restaurants. The only chain we have is Subway."
Bradbury admitted to checking the bogus website herself, noting that the page resembled the Taco Bell site but didn't give any contact information. The phone number on the flyers belonged to a private resident, who'd enlisted Bradbury's help in stopping the deluge of phone calls.
On Tuesday, Alaska radio station KYUK confirmed from Denali Foods Inc. that the flyers were a hoax. "I repeat, Bethel is not getting a Taco Bell," said the announcer. Denali Foods Inc. operates all of the Taco Bells in the state.
"It was an excitement, but I don't think anybody put too much thought in it really happening," Bradbury said, adding, "it would be nice" if Taco Bell came to Bethel. McDonald's could not set up in Bethel because of food codes.Residents can get fast food only a few times a year, when they place their McDonald's order for charity and have it delivered.
Anchorage, the location with the closest Taco Bell to Bethel, is 400 miles away and can be reached only by.Here in the lower 48 we take for granted our “fourth meal.” But if you live up in the frozen tundra of Alaska, you can’t just take a spin to the local Taco Bell. In fact, if you live in Bethel, Alaska, a town of 6000, you would have to drive about 350 miles to Anchorage to grab a late-night gordita.
Which is why Bethel resident were so excited when yellow fliers announcing the arrival of a Taco Bell by this Fourth of July starting appearing around town. Finally the arctic dwellers could “Live Mas.”
But, alas, it was just a cruel, crual hoax. “I repeat: Bethel is NOT getting a Taco Bell,” announced local radio station KYUK, as the buzz about the fast food franchise reached a fevered pitch.
Hopes dashed, but life-expectancy increased, Bethel residents wake up to the reality that they may never get to taste a Chalupa. The town is only accessible by boat or plane and the closest they have to a proper fast food restaurant is a Subway. And when you’re craving grease, a six inch turkey sub just isn’t going to cut it.The residents of a small town in Alaska were disappointed to learn Thursday that advertisements for a new Taco Bell were a hoax.
Yellow flyers had been posted on bulletin boards around Bethel, Alaska, population 6,000, advertising employment at a Taco Bell restaurant. The flyers included a fake website and phone number, and caused a buzz in a town that has no fast-food restaurants.
Bonnie Bradbury, administrative assistant at the Bethel Chamber of Commerce, said, “I think it caused a stir of excitement. We probably have a dozen mom-and-pop type restaurants. The only chain we have is Subway.”
Bradbury admitted to checking the bogus website herself, noting that the page resembled the Taco Bell site but didn’t give any contact information. The phone number on the flyers belonged to a private resident, who’d enlisted Bradbury’s help in stopping the deluge of phone calls.
Denali Foods Inc. has confirmed that the flyers were a hoax. “I repeat, Bethel is not getting a Taco Bell,” said the announcer. Denali Foods Inc. operates all of the Taco Bells in the state.
“It was an excitement, but I don’t think anybody put too much thought in it really happening,” Bradbury said, adding, “it would be nice” if Taco Bell came to Bethel. McDonald’s could not set up in Bethel because of food codes.
Residents can get fast food only a few times a year, when they place their McDonald’s order for charity and have it delivered.
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