Roxboro will soon be able to think outside the bun.

The permitting process has begun to clear the way for a Taco Bell restaurant on Durham Road in Roxboro.

The establishment is scheduled to be a combination restaurant with Kentucky Fried Chicken, which is currently located at 1039 N. Madison Blvd.

The site of the KFC/Taco Bell restaurant will be beside and south of the Lowe’s Home Improvement Store at 2040 Durham Rd., according to project manager Brian Lewis of LE&D Professionals in Danville, Va. LE&D is handling the site plan for the restaurant, Roxboro City Manager Jon Barlow said Friday.

Lewis told The Courier-Times Friday that the KFC/Taco Bell restaurant was “just in the permitting phase. All we have done so far is submit for permits.”

When asked when construction on the restaurant might begin, Lewis said, “hopefully sooner than later.”

Lewis explained that LE&D was “still dealing with [the North Carolina Department of Transportation] on entrances.

“The City of Roxboro seems to be fine with everything,” Lewis added.

Taco Bell, a Mexican-style fast food chain, is based in Irvine, Calif.

The restaurant serves tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos and other specialty items.

According to information on the company’s Web site, Taco Bell serves more than two billion consumers each year in more than 5,800 restaurants in the United States.