Three new restaurants have opened in Abilene over the past six weeks. Franchises like Fuzzy’s Taco Shop and McAlister’s Deli have opened across town while the new, locally-owned The Coffee Shack on the Hill opened less than a mile from ACU campus.

The new McCalister’s Deli on Clack Street opened on Sept. 30 and was so busy the first month it broke company records, said manager Ben Tirado. An additional location is scheduled to open next to the CVS drug store on Judge Ely by early January.

“No date is set in stone yet because they are still in the construction phase,” Tirado said.

Fuzzy’s Taco Shop opened on Oct. 29 after renovating and moving into a space behind the Mall of Abilene that used to be Rack Daddy’s Bar and Billiards.

The Coffee Shack on the Hill renovated the space next to the Subway on Judge Ely after it was vacated for eight months. It opened on Nov. 1, and owners hope to appeal to the college student crowd, said owner Elaine Marez.

“We wanted to have a place for university kids to come and hang out,” said Marez. “This weekend was our first weekend and we had karoke out on the patio. A lot of kids like to sing and play guitar and we want to invite them to come and do that.”

The Coffee Shack on the Hill also has a DJ on Saturdays and offers an open mic every night starting at 7 p.m. It serves coffee, smoothies and bagels and promotes several gluten-free options.

The Abilene Reporter-News reported that Niknud LLC, a Lubbock-based franchise group, plans to develop Dunkin Donuts restaurants and Dunkin Donuts/Baskin-Robbins combination units throughout western Texas in Abilene, Amarillo, Lubbock and San Angelo. The first store built by Niknud, which is Dunkin spelled backwards, will be constructed next year in Lubbock, with the remainder completed by 2019.