Florida Man Arrested After Building Fully Functional Taco Bell Inside Abandoned Blockbuster, Served 47 People Before Police Noticed

<p>PENSACOLA — Authorities shut down an unauthorized restaurant after a local man converted an abandoned Blockbuster Video into a fully operational Taco Bell franchise, complete with drive-thru service and a convincing menu board.</p> <p>Derek &#8220;D-Money&#8221; Martinez, 39, had been running &#8220;Definitely Real Taco Bell&#8221; from the defunct video rental store for three weeks before health inspectors caught on. The operation included what appeared to be legitimate uniforms (purchased from eBay), a functional POS system, and food that witnesses described as &#8220;surprisingly decent.&#8221;</p> <p>&#8220;I thought it was weird that Taco Bell opened in an old Blockbuster, but honestly, where else are they gonna go?&#8221; said customer Jennifer Ramirez. &#8220;The Crunchwrap Supreme was pretty good. Little light on the sour cream, but I wasn&#8217;t complaining.&#8221;</p> <p>Martinez allegedly used YouTube tutorials to recreate menu items and had convinced three teenagers to work as employees, paying them in free food and &#8220;store credit&#8221; he claimed would be valid at &#8220;all participating locations.&#8221;</p> <p>The scheme unraveled when an actual Taco Bell corporate employee drove through the establishment and noticed the chalupa shells were &#8220;suspiciously homemade&#8221; and that Martinez was accepting personal checks.</p> <p>Police discovered Martinez had also been living in the former manager&#8217;s office, which he had converted into a studio apartment complete with a futon and a collection of unopened VHS tapes he&#8217;d found in the building.</p> <p>&#8220;He had a really elaborate setup,&#8221; said Officer Patricia Gomez. &#8220;There was even a suggestion box. People were leaving positive reviews.&#8221;</p> <p>When questioned, Martinez insisted he had &#8220;verbal permission&#8221; from Taco Bell&#8217;s CEO, whom he claimed to have met &#8220;in a dream that felt very official.&#8221;</p> <p>Martinez faces charges including operating without a business license, trademark infringement, and what prosecutors are calling &#8220;aggressive menu innovation without corporate approval.&#8221; His bail has been set at $15,000, or 3,000 Crunchwrap Supremes.</p> <p>Real Taco Bell released a statement saying they &#8220;do not condone unauthorized franchising&#8221; but admitted the online photos of Martinez&#8217;s operation showed &#8220;impressive attention to detail.&#8221;</p>