Applegreen to open Taco Bell in Northern Ireland

Fuel and forecourt retailer Applegreen said it plans to open Northern Ireland’s first Taco Bell Mexican-inspired restaurant after a successful partnership with the US-based company across Ireland and the UK.

Applegreen will open the North’s first Taco Bell at its Lisburn North location on the M1 next month.

Applegreen currently operates three Taco Bell outlets in the Republic of Ireland – Dunshaughlin in Co Meath, Ballincollig in Co Cork and Lusk in Co Dublin on the M1.

It also runs ten Taco Bells at its Welcome Break business in the UK.

The new Taco Bell at Lisburn North will be open seven days a week, from 11am to 10pm.

Applegreen operates across five locations in Northern Ireland. The two largest sites are just outside Lisburn, on the northern and southern sides of the M1 motorway, and it also has sites in Templepatrick, Ballymena and Hillsborough.

Opening Taco Bell in Northern Ireland is part of a €1 billion upgrade and expansion plan by Applegreen that will see significant investment across the company’s operations in Ireland, the UK and the US.

It has almost 200 sites in the Republic of Ireland and also operates 61 service areas and 31 hotels in the UK through its Welcome Break business.

The company employs about 17,000 people around the world and had annual sales of €3.8 billion in 2024.

“We are really excited to announce this partnership to launch the iconic Taco Bell brand in Northern Ireland,” said John Diviney, Managing Director of Applegreen UK.

He said that Taco Bell has been a huge success on the island of Ireland since Applegreen launched its first outlet in Dunshaughlin, Co Meath last September.

“Applegreen’s core goal is to offer our customers high quality roadside hospitality by partnering with leading brands such as Taco Bell. The enhancements that we constantly make to our business are designed to delight our customers and to provide them with an even better experience,” Mr Diviney said.