Taco Bell has moved locations on Front Street, Vilah Bloom is opening a downtown Traverse City store, numerous food trucks are opening for the season, Korean and Pakistani street food options are coming to town, and more businesses are on the move in The Ticker’s latest look at restaurant and retail news.

Downtown TC
Taco Bell has moved locations on East Front Street, vacating its long-time home next to Traverse Bay Café to occupy the former KFC building at 720 East Front Street next to McDonald’s (pictured). Though just a few doors down, the new location offers more options for the franchise’s growth, according to Darla Bowen of Northland Investments. The company had been leasing its former location but owns the building that housed KFC, which recently closed – another reason for the move.

“Our Taco Bell was due for a remodel,” Bowen says. “Moving to the new location will give Taco Bell more parking, drive-through, and order pick-up space. The larger building also positions us better for future growth and has better visibility for our customers on Front Street.” Taco Bell reopened in its new location on Thursday. No plans have been announced yet for the former property, which is in a prominent location across from the newly reconstructed Traverse City Senior Center – which has its own public grand opening from 2pm-6pm Wednesday.

Further down East Front Street, Vilah Bloom is preparing to open its second northern Michigan store – after its Village of Walloon Lake location – at 134 East Front Street (formerly The Exchange Boutique). Founded in 2014 by Michigan native Jackie Garrett – who made a splash with patented diaper bags featuring a built-in wipe dispenser – the company has since introduced BagStar, an in-store customization experience that lets customers personalize bags with interchangeable straps, charms, and embossed initials. Vilah Bloom also has a custom jewelry line and hosts private parties for bachelorette celebrations, birthdays, and more. The company is planning a soft launch on Memorial Day Weekend in Traverse City. Vilah Bloom joins another new boutique coming to Front Street: Hello Friends, which The Ticker previously reported is coming to 330 East Front Street, has set a grand opening date of May 9 from 10am to 7pm, with drinks and snacks offered from 4pm to 7pm.

Also on East Front Street, two outdoor hubs are gearing up for the summer food truck season. The Little Fleet held its official launch this past weekend for its 2025 truck lineup, which includes Cordwood BBQ, Daily Blend, Traverse City Pizza Company, Tommy the Taco, Dogwood, and Crocodile Palace (located indoors). Food truck hours for the season are Monday-Tuesday 3pm-9pm, Wednesday-Thursday 11:30am-9pm, Friday-Saturday 11:30am-10pm, and Sunday 11:30am-8pm (bar hours start at the same time but go later each night).

At The Coin Slot, two new businesses are joining Full Send Ramen and Two Sons Pizza as food options for the lot’s summer lineup. The Coin Slot team will operate Super Cone, a “whimsical, retro-themed frozen custard stand that combines the charm of vintage superhero comics with the delight of classic frozen treats,” according to owner Scott Pierson. Offerings will include “nostalgic walk-up window staples” like cones, concretes, and floats, Pierson says. Super Cone has a planned late May opening and will operate daily from noon to 11pm.

Also in the lot, Full Send Ramen owner Daniel Mabie is opening a second stand next to his ramen truck called Somewhere Over the Trompo. According to Mabie, the truck will offer a “traditional, authentic taqueria-feel experience that is one-of-a-kind in Traverse City, with handmade tortillas, from-scratch salsas, copper pot carnitas, grilled carne asada” – and the menu highlight of al pastor tacos featuring meat marinated overnight and stacked onto a trompo (a vertical spit). The food will be “as close as we can to making it how it is south of the border,” Mabie says. “No sour cream and hard shells here! Just insanely delicious tacos and burritos made with love.” Somewhere Over the Trompo is targeting a May 13 opening.

Related to tacos, a new business appears to be preparing to take over the former Pacificoast space at 123 West Front Street (Suite 1B). City commissioners last week approved the transfer of a liquor license from Pacificoast to a new entity called Tacos & Tequila TC, an LLC owned by Cesar Alejandro Umbral-Quezada and Renato Alan Valerio-Avila of the Gaylord/Petoskey area. The owners did not respond to multiple requests for comment about their plans for the space. Also downtown, Votruba Leather Goods is targeting a May 15 opening after being closed for a month for a store remodel, which will bring it back to its original 1880s style with brick walls, tin ceilings, and repaired original floors. Around the corner in the Warehouse District, Hexenbelle has announced changes to its hours and menu starting May 6. The eatery is eliminating its espresso program and some of its breakfast offerings, focusing instead on lunch and dinner with planned hours of 11am-7pm Tuesday-Saturday. Coffee, cold brews, matcha, tea, and other ice drinks will still be available to accompany the food menu, which will see some dishes eliminated but new ones (like halal meat options) offered.

Finally, after the building that houses Bay Bread Company on Randolph Street was recently listed for sale for $2 million, the bakery owners took to Facebook to confirm that they don’t own the building and will be relocating – but said such a move is likely at least a year away. Bay Bread plans to remain in business, the owners stressed. “We’ve got things in the works behind the scenes, and great things are coming,” they posted. On the other side of downtown, the formers Morsels bakery at 321 East Front Street has also been listed for sale for $925,000. In addition to the building, Jack Lane of Real Estate One notes the property includes Boardman River frontage with “room for a boat slip or two.”

Other retail/restaurant news...
Fans of global street food will have multiple options in Traverse City this summer. Chef Phong Nguyen – who has owned Grand Rapids restaurants including Vietnamese eatery Monsoon and Korean street food restaurant K-Pocha – is moving to TC and opening a K-Pocha at 720 Munson Avenue in East Bay Plaza. Offerings will include Korean corndogs and wings, skewers, Japanese ramen, bibimbap, bubble waffle ice cream, and more. Nguyen is targeting a mid-May grand opening with a possible soft opening beforehand. Hours will be Monday-Saturday 11:30am-9pm and Sunday 12pm-7pm. In Interlochen, owner Toby Dunne has secured approval to operate De Food Truck on his property at 2689 J. Maddy Parkway – the first step in a larger redevelopment eventually planned for the site – and is targeting the second or third weekend of May to start selling his 100 percent gluten-free street food with a global twist.

Also hoping to open by the second weekend of May is Jadoo Bites, a Pakistani street food stand owned by Ahsan “Ace” Melwani and his wife Molly. The duo will be open on Sundays (and some Saturdays) at the Grand Traverse County Civic Center from 11am to 6pm. The menu will feature “Burst Bites” – a take on golgappa/panipuri, with bite-sized puris filled with mashed potatoes, chaat masala, spicy green pani, and tamarind chutney – as well as the Jadoo Crunch Bag (a Pakistani walking taco), chai drinks, and a variety of ice cream options. Jadoo Bites hopes to expand its operational days as word spreads, with the goal of growing into a full-time food truck/trailer by next year, Melwani says.

After announcing in March that she was closing Relish in the Warehouse District, owner Tracey Lark has embarked on a new venture: Baby Dill. Located in Building 50 in The Village at Grand Traverse Commons, the store will focus on “clean, natural, and organic items for baby and perinatal mamas,” says Lark, calling it a “a perfect one-stop-shop for a baby shower” with gift wrapping services also offered. Baby Dill will have its grand opening Thursday.

Meanwhile, another closing is on the horizon for a local business: Premier 31 Salon announced its last day in the Grand Traverse Mall will be May 15. “Due to unforeseen circumstances, we will not be signing a new lease and do not have plans to reopen at this time,” the business posted. The salon is holding a closing sale – including furniture and equipment – and has encouraged customers to reach out directly to stylists to find out their next locations.