Taco Bell Belen NM: What Really Happened During Our Visit to Taco Bell in Belen, New Mexico

Taco Bell Belen NM — yesterday definitely turned into an interesting day. 😂

After a long, hard day, we headed into town to get showers and find something inexpensive to eat. I really didn’t want to come home and cook, so we decided on Taco Bell in Belen, New Mexico.

Yes, I know… maybe that was our first mistake. 😂

But Taco Bell is cheap, convenient, and sometimes after a long day you just go with what’s easy.

We had no idea that a quick stop for food would turn into an argument, a restaurant lockdown, a call to the sheriff, and eventually us sitting outside waiting for law enforcement that never arrived.

And the reason this entire situation started?

Our dogs.

But not quite in the way it may sound.

There is a lot more to this story.

Taco Bell Belen New Mexico — What Happened?

Before getting into the confrontation, there is some important background.

Temperatures were around 96–100°F in the Belen, New Mexico area.

We had all four of our dogs with us:

• Dreugan
• Persephone
• Vibria
• Lurch

We are extremely careful with our dogs in this kind of heat.

We are not going to shut off the vehicle and leave four dogs sitting inside a hot car.

How We Handle the Dogs When We Go to Planet Fitness

For example, when we go to Planet Fitness to shower, we don’t leave the dogs alone in the vehicle.

We take turns going inside.

One person goes inside to shower while the other person stays with the dogs and the vehicle.

Then we switch.

The vehicle remains running with the A/C on.

Someone is always with the dogs.

Fortunately, yesterday we even got the one shady parking spot at Planet Fitness.

Around here, that’s basically winning the shady parking spot lottery! 😂

After getting our showers, we decided to get something to eat before heading home.

We knew we would have to come back into town later that night to pick Anne up from work, so the plan was simple:

Get food, go home, and come back later.

Nothing complicated.

At least, that’s what we thought.

Why We Had the Dogs at Taco Bell Belen

We normally don’t go inside restaurants while our dogs are with.

Especially when temperatures are close to 100°F, we are not going to shut the vehicle off and leave them sitting inside.

So when we arrived at Taco Bell in Belen, we deliberately looked for a parking space where we could keep an eye on them.

We found a parking spot directly in front of a booth inside the restaurant.

That meant we could sit inside and watch the vehicle the entire time.

The Vehicle Was Running and the A/C Was On

This is an important part of the story.

The vehicle was running.

The A/C was on.

We were sitting directly in front of the vehicle.

And honestly, the dogs looked completely comfortable.

Dreugan was sitting in the driver’s seat.

Persephone was in the passenger seat.

Vibria and Lurch were in the back.

They were simply sitting there watching us and patiently waiting for the chips we were saving for them. 😂

They weren’t acting distressed.

They weren’t frantically trying to get out.

They weren’t panting heavily.

They were just hanging out.

The Conversation With Nadine’s Mother Before the Problem Started

This is one of the details that is important to the entire story.

While we were ordering, a woman came into Taco Bell with children.

She actually talked to Brent about the dogs.

She commented on how relaxed they looked.

Brent joked that the dogs were the security.

She also mentioned that we had parked in her usual parking spot.

It was a completely friendly conversation.

There was no argument.

There was no hostility.

There was no indication that anything was wrong.

Who Was This Woman?

That woman was Nadine’s mother.

That matters because Nadine’s mother had already:

• Seen our dogs
• Spoken directly with Brent
• Seen where the dogs were sitting
• Seen the vehicle
• Been around the vehicle
• Had a friendly conversation with us
• Known the circumstances surrounding the dogs

From our perspective, this made what happened afterward even more confusing.

Our Neighbor Was Working at Taco Bell in Belen

There was another familiar face inside the restaurant.

Our neighbor happened to be working at Taco Bell.

He served us and came over to talk with us while things were slow.

It was actually nice having someone familiar to talk to.

And I have to admit something:

When he’s working, we seem to get better-quality food. 😂

At this point, everything was still normal.

We were eating.

Our dogs were outside in the running vehicle with the A/C on.

We could see them.

Our neighbor was talking with us.

Nadine’s mother had already spoken with Brent.

There was no confrontation.

Then things got weird.

Then Things Got Weird at Taco Bell Belen

For the purposes of this story, I’m going to call the employee Nadine.

While our neighbor was talking with us, Nadine called him over.

At first, we assumed maybe he wasn’t supposed to be standing around talking with customers.

We didn’t want to get him in trouble.

So we figured maybe he needed to get back to work.

But then we heard what Nadine was saying.

And we could hear it across the restaurant.

Nadine Was Talking About Our Dogs

The conversation was about our dogs being in the vehicle.

Specifically, the concern appeared to be that the dogs were in the vehicle with the windows up.

Now, I completely understand someone being concerned about animals in a vehicle when it’s nearly 100°F outside.

We understand that concern.

But the vehicle was running and the A/C was on.

And we were sitting directly in front of it.

That wasn’t a secret.

The dogs were visible.

And Nadine’s own mother had already been talking with us about the dogs.

So we had a very simple question:

Why Didn’t Nadine Just Come Talk to Us?

If Nadine was concerned about our dogs, why didn’t she simply walk over and ask?

Something as simple as:

“Is the A/C running?“

We would have answered.

Instead, she was discussing our dogs with another employee loudly enough that we could hear the conversation from across the restaurant.

That was what upset us.

It wasn’t simply that someone was concerned about the dogs.

It was the way the concern was being handled.

Why Brent Became Angry

Brent became upset.

And I’m not going to rewrite history or pretend he didn’t.

He was angry.

He raised his voice.

He used profanity.

He told Nadine he didn’t fucking appreciate what she was doing and that her mother already knew the vehicle was running.

His frustration was that instead of coming directly to us and asking about the dogs, Nadine was broadcasting the issue to another employee across the restaurant.

From our perspective, it was embarrassing and unnecessary.

Imagine sitting inside a restaurant and suddenly hearing an employee discussing you and your dogs loudly enough for you to hear it from across the room.

We were already tired.

We had just spent the day working.

We were hungry.

We were trying to get something cheap to eat.

And suddenly we’re listening to a conversation about our dogs as if we aren’t sitting right there.

That is why Brent became angry.

Was There a Threat or Physical Confrontation?

No.

There was no physical confrontation.

There was no threat.

Brent was angry.

He yelled.

He cursed.

Telling Nadine he didn’t “Fucking appreciate it”, “Her fucking Mother already knew car is running,  AC is on”,”She could of fucking came over talked to us”, “she could fucking keep her nose out of others business”.

But that’s where it ended.

Nadine told Brent he had to leave.

He said:

“Fine.”

And he walked out.

He didn’t continue arguing.

He didn’t physically confront anyone.

He didn’t stop to grab his phone.

He simply left.

Then Nadine’s Mother Said She Was Calling the Sheriff

As Brent was walking outside toward the vehicle, something else happened.

Nadine’s mother stood up and said she was calling the sheriff.

I honestly didn’t understand.

I asked her:

“For what?”

She said it was “because he had yelled at my daughter”.

My first thought was basically:

Really? The sheriff?

This situation had gone from a conversation about dogs to someone calling law enforcement because Brent had yelled and cursed.

Again, there had been:

• No threat
• No physical confrontation
• No assault
• No physical contact

But now the sheriff was supposedly being called.

We Were Told We Were Banned From Taco Bell

Then Nadine came over and told me that “he is banned”.

I was so caught off guard that I couldn’t even think of what to say.

The first thing that came out of my mouth was:

“That’s okay. You’re banned from our place too.”

Like…

as if that’s important. 😂

I wasn’t thinking about whether we would ever go back.

I was simply stunned that the situation had somehow escalated to announcing bans.

The Taco Bell Belen Doors Were Locked

At this point, Brent was already outside at the vehicle.

I was still inside gathering our food and belongings.

Our neighbor, the employee who had been talking with us earlier, came over and helped me pack everything up and get our food together.

While I was still inside, Nadine’s mother told Nadine to lock the doors.

So now:

• Brent was outside
• I was still inside
• I was gathering our belongings
• The doors were being locked
• We had been told the sheriff was coming

It was an incredibly strange situation.

And again, we had not threatened anyone.

Why We Stayed at Taco Bell Waiting for the Sheriff

Once we were outside, we were told the sheriff had been called.

So we stayed.

Why?

Because we didn’t know what had been reported.

And if someone was calling law enforcement, we wanted the opportunity to explain our side of what had actually happened.

We weren’t trying to run away.

We weren’t trying to hide.

We were simply waiting.

But the Sheriff Never Came

We waited.

And waited.

No sheriff arrived while we were there.

Eventually, we asked whether the police were still coming.

There was still no officer.

Eventually, we left.

Nadine’s Mother Was Pointing at Us to Another Customer

While we were waiting outside, another thing happened that made the situation feel even stranger.

Nadine’s mother was talking to another customer and pointing toward us.

Probably bad on us, every time she point to us Brent would wave the finger. 😃

The customer looked at us and shook her head.

We were sitting there thinking:

What in the world is happening?

We weren’t fighting.

We weren’t threatening anyone.

We were sitting at our vehicle waiting for a sheriff we had been told was coming.

Eventually, Nadine escorted her mother and the children out of the restaurant.

From our perspective, the entire situation had become completely disproportionate to what had actually happened.

Nadine Ignored Us When We Asked About the Sheriff

After Nadine came back toward the restaurant, we rolled down the window and asked if the police were still coming.

She ignored us.

She went back inside.

We waited a few more minutes.

Still no sheriff.

Still no police.

Eventually, we left.

Where Was the Manager at Taco Bell Belen?

One of the biggest questions we still have is:

Where was management?

At no point did we see a manager come over and try to de-escalate the situation.

Instead, the situation involved:

• Nadine
• Nadine’s mother
• Our neighbor
• A customer
• The threat to call the sheriff
• Locked restaurant doors
• Brent being told to leave
• Me still being inside gathering our belongings
• Waiting outside for law enforcement

And yet we never saw a manager step in and simply say:

“Let’s talk about what happened.“

We Still Don’t Know What Nadine’s Mother’s Role Was

This is another question we cannot answer.

Nadine’s mother was clearly involved in what happened.

She had already spoken with us about the dogs.


She announced that she was calling the sheriff.

She told Nadine to lock the doors.

She was later pointing toward us while talking with another customer.

But we don’t know:

Was she an employee?

Was she a manager?

Was she simply a customer?

We honestly don’t know.

And that’s why we are asking Taco Bell:

Who was actually responsible for handling this situation?

We Were Not Leaving Our Dogs in a Hot, Turned-Off Vehicle

Because the entire incident centered around the dogs, we want to make this extremely clear.

We are not people who believe it’s okay to leave dogs sitting in a hot vehicle.

We don’t do that.

The vehicle was running.

The A/C was on.

We deliberately parked where we could sit directly in front of it and monitor the dogs.

Our Normal Routine at Planet Fitness

Our normal routine proves this isn’t something we take lightly.

At Planet Fitness:

We take turns showering.

One person goes inside.

One person stays with the dogs.

The vehicle remains running with the A/C on.

Then we switch.

Someone is always with the dogs.

We do this because we believe the dogs’ safety is more important than convenience.

Why Didn’t Anyone Just Ask Us About the Dogs?

This is ultimately what bothers us most.

If someone was genuinely worried about the dogs, we would have been happy to explain.

We were sitting directly in front of the vehicle.

The dogs were visible.

The A/C was running.

There was no reason the concern had to become a public conversation across the restaurant.

A simple:

“Hey, are the dogs okay? Is the A/C running?“

could have ended the entire situation.

Instead, the concern became public.

Brent became embarrassed and angry.

He was told to leave.

The sheriff was called.

The doors were locked.

And we waited outside for law enforcement that never arrived.

All over something that could have been handled with a simple conversation.

Taco Bell Belen NM — Our Customer Experience

This wasn’t what we expected when we stopped at Taco Bell in Belen, New Mexico.

We weren’t looking for an argument.

We weren’t looking for attention.

We weren’t trying to cause trouble.

We were tired.

We were hungry.

We wanted something cheap.

We had four dogs with us in extreme heat and were taking precautions to keep them comfortable.

We had a friendly conversation with Nadine’s mother.

Our neighbor was working and talking with us.

Everything was fine.

Then suddenly, our dogs became the subject of a conversation being broadcast across the restaurant.

That is what changed everything.

Could the Taco Bell Belen Incident Have Been Prevented?

Absolutely.

A simple conversation could have prevented this entire situation.

What could have happened:

1. Nadine notices the dogs.
2. Nadine walks over to us.
3. She says she’s concerned because of the heat.
4. We explain that the vehicle is running.
5. We explain that the A/C is on.
6. She sees that we are sitting directly in front of the vehicle.
7. Everyone goes back to eating.

That’s it.

Instead, the situation escalated into something far bigger.

We Are Sharing Our Taco Bell Belen Story — Not Asking for Harassment

We are not publishing this story because we want people to harass Taco Bell, Nadine, her mother, or anyone else involved.

That’s not what this is about.

We are sharing our firsthand experience at Taco Bell Belen NM.

We hope Taco Bell sees this.

Not because we want revenge.

But because if employees or customers have concerns about animals, customers, or potential safety issues, there should be a professional way to handle those concerns.

There should be communication.

There should be management involvement when a situation starts escalating.

And there should be an effort to de-escalate rather than allowing a disagreement to turn into a situation where the restaurant is locking its doors and customers are waiting outside for a sheriff who never arrives.

Our Final Thoughts About Taco Bell Belen New Mexico

Looking back, the whole thing is almost surreal.

We went to Taco Bell because:

We were hungry.

We didn’t want to cook.

We had to come back into town later to pick Anne up from work.

We had our dogs with us.

It was hot.

We parked directly in front of our booth.

The vehicle was running.

The A/C was on.

The dogs were comfortable.

Nadine’s mother had already spoken with us.

Our neighbor was talking with us.

Then suddenly:

Everything changed.

Nadine discussed the dogs loudly across the restaurant.

Brent became angry.

He cursed and raised his voice.

He was told to leave.

He left.

Nadine’s mother called for the sheriff.

I was told Brent was banned.

I responded that they were banned from our place too.

The doors were locked while I was still inside gathering our things.

Our neighbor helped me get everything together.

We went outside.

We waited.

A customer was watching and shaking her head while Nadine’s mother pointed toward us.

The sheriff never came.

We eventually left.

And we’re still asking ourselves:

How did a quick Taco Bell stop turn into all of that?

The Bottom Line — Taco Bell Belen NM

We understand concerns about animals in vehicles.

We understand why people may worry when temperatures reach 96–100°F.

But circumstances matter.

Our vehicle was running.

The A/C was on.

We were sitting directly in front of it.

The dogs appeared comfortable.

And when someone had concerns, we would have been happy to explain.

We simply wish the situation had been handled through a direct conversation rather than becoming a public discussion across the restaurant and eventually escalating into a confrontation.

That is our experience at Taco Bell Belen NM.

And that’s the complete story.