Oct. 7, 2024

Taco John’s is coming to Tea.

The restaurant will be in a strip mall that’s under construction on the northwest corner of the Interstate 29 exit.

“That has been a hot topic for a long time,” Ted Miller said of bringing the national chain to the community. Miller is vice president of operations for the franchise group. “This just worked out great with Cresten Properties putting up the strip mall.”

The restaurant, which will have a double-lane drive-thru and seating for about 50, likely will open next spring, Miller said.

It will be the 19th location for the franchise group.

“It’s a busy area with lots of development going on there,” Miller said of the Bakker Landing development. “We’re excited to see the growth continue there.”

Cresten Properties also owns another strip mall to the west of the one under construction that includes Starbucks, Down Home by DeBoers and a video lottery casino.

About 8,000 square feet remains in the new retail center, which can be subdivided various ways, said Kevin Tupy, founder and CEO of Cresten Properties.

“I would love to see a mix of retail, restaurant and other commercial offerings of any type,” he said. “That corner is unbelievably busy, and everyone is doing so well there. That Starbucks is a top performer in the system as well as the Casey’s nationally is in the top 1 percent. We had so many different restaurant concepts come to us about leasing out that space, but we really wanted something that was loved and just an iconic brand in our region.”

Taco John’s is “a fantastic tenant, and I know the people of Tea and south Sioux Falls will be thrilled to hear their announcement,” Tupy added.