Taco Tradeoff

Ben Hunt, owner of Fayetteville’s Casa Taco for the past 32 years, said he intends to lease the 5,000-SF space at 1860 N. Crossover Road that housed a Cafe Santa Fe until mid-December. Hunt said he hasn’t officially signed a lease, but intends to in coming weeks.

Building owner Don Cozart has talked to three different restaurants about leasing the space, but Casa Taco is the front-runner, he said, confirming he’s in “very serious negotiations” with Hunt on the lease. Cozart said he likes the idea of putting another Mexican restaurant in the spot. It fits well with the mix of other restaurants at Crossroads Village. He said the space is fully equipped because Cafe Santa Fe “left everything.”

Hunt said his new restaurant will be “a little more upscale” than the Casa Taco he owns in the Oak Plaza Shopping Center. He doesn’t plan to use the same name for the new restaurant. The menu will include the Mexican food he’s built his career on, but Hunt also plans to add some appetizers and steaks to the new menu. Hunt’s Casa Taco restaurant at about 2500 SF is half the size of the space he plans to lease in Crossroads Village.