Do you wish every day was Taco Tuesday? Does the word “empanada” make you weak in the knees? Would you happily swap chocolate or vanilla birthday cake for churro cheesecake?

If you answered “yes” to any of the above the questions, I bring you welcome news.

Birriaholic, a family-run Latin fusion restaurant specializing in birria tacos, is planning to open its second Lehigh Valley location within a few months at 81 W. Broad St. in downtown Bethlehem.

“We should be open no later than the second week of October,” co-owner Joel Almonte said. “We’re just waiting on some permits, and then we’ll begin renovations.”

Birriaholic, a family-run Latin fusion restaurant specializing in birria tacos, is planning to open its second Lehigh Valley location within a few months at 81 W. Broad St. in downtown Bethlehem. (Birriaholic/Contributed photo)

The Christmas City spot previously housed Coal Winery & Kitchen, a contemporary West African fusion restaurant specializing in Ghanaian cuisine, which temporarily closed in June as the owner seeks a new location for the business.

Almonte and his partners — his wife, Shayna Mora, and his sister and brother-in-law, Lina Cardona and Christopher Peralta — are renovating the space to include new wall paint, lighting, countertops and more.

The BYOB outpost will feature an updated kitchen connecting to the full-service restaurant in the front and a fast-casual spot, Birriaholic Express, in the back (accessible through the building’s main corridor).

Birriaholic, a family-run Latin fusion restaurant specializing in birria tacos, is planning to open its second Lehigh Valley location within a few months at 81 W. Broad St. in downtown Bethlehem. Pictured are the restaurant's homemade cherry and passion fruit juices. (Birriaholic/Contributed photo)

“The express side will be similar to a Chipotle, where customers can customize their burritos, rice bowls, salad bowls and so forth with their choice of rice, beans, proteins and toppings,” Almonte said.

Birriaholic, which debuted last year at 343 Hamilton St. in downtown Allentown, showcases influences from Mexican, Dominican and other Latin American cuisines.

Birriaholic, a family-run Latin fusion restaurant specializing in birria tacos, is planning to open its second Lehigh Valley location within a few months at 81 W. Broad St. in downtown Bethlehem. Pictured is the "que lo que" chimi with tostones. (Birriaholic/Contributed photo)

Menu highlights include burritos, quesadillas, guacamole with tostones, yaroa, “que lo que” chimis and build-your-own rice, salad or nacho bowls.

Of course, the business’ most popular selection is its namesake, authentic birria tacos, comprised of slow-cooked meat and other foods inside tortillas that have been dipped in a richly spiced broth.

Beef is the top pick, Mora said, but customers also can choose other options such as chicken, shrimp and jackfruit. A mushroom-based option is coming soon.

Birriaholic, a family-run Latin fusion restaurant specializing in birria tacos, is planning to open its second Lehigh Valley location within a few months at 81 W. Broad St. in downtown Bethlehem. (Ryan Kneller/The Morning Call)

To stay up-to-date on Birriaholic’s Bethlehem location, which the owners say may also feature a downstairs lounge, follow the business’ social media pages, facebook.com/birraholicpa and instagram.com/birriaholic_pa.

A block away from the new Birriaholic in downtown Bethlehem, another full-service restaurant is in the works across from the Walnut Street Garage.

Steak & Steel Hibachi, offering sushi, hibachi dishes and Asian fusion specialties such as traditional Chinese dumplings and Japanese udon noodles, is expected to open in late fall at 44 W. Walnut St., partner Rob Lewis said.

The dining establishment, named in honor of Bethlehem’s rich steel-making heritage, is owned by a restaurateur group that operates more than a half dozen other Asian restaurants, including MYST in Jim Thorpe, Pearl Sushi Bar at Mohegan Sun Pocono in Wilkes-Barre Township, Luzerne County; and Uma Japanese Hibachi Steak House in St. Clair, Schuylkill County.

In Bethlehem, the partners are planning to serve up freshly prepared sushi, including more than 20 signature rolls and about 30 standard rolls such as California, Philadelphia and spicy yellowtail, along with hibachi dishes such as chicken, shrimp, salmon, red snapper, scallops and New York strip steak.

The 4,300-square-foot restaurant will offer seating for around 150 customers, Lewis said, with accommodations including a 12-seat sushi bar and six hibachi tables — each with room for eight diners.

The partners are knocking down a majority of the interior walls for an open-concept design and implementing other renovations that include new gray tile flooring, decor paying homage to Bethlehem Steel and a 40-foot-long bar serving beer, wine and cocktails. Info: facebook.com/SteakandSteelHibachi.

Steak & Steel Hibachi, a full-service restaurant offering sushi, hibachi dishes and Asian fusion specialties such as traditional Chinese dumplings and Japanese udon noodles, is expected to open in late fall at 44 W. Walnut St. in downtown Bethlehem. (Ryan Kneller/The Morning Call)

A few businesses are on their way in Bethlehem Township:

First, CKS Services, a locally owned printing and copying business specializing in legal printing, scanning and printing of blueprints, is moving from 200 E. Broad St. in Bethlehem to 4063 Unit B Nazareth Pike in Bethlehem Township (next to Cigars International), according to storefront signage. Its first day in the new digs will be Monday. Info: 610-868-7404.

Second, discount grocery store chain Aldi is opening a new location in the Bethlehem Plaza on Route 191, just south of Route 22, according to the James Balliet Property Group, which announced the lease on its Facebook page.

Aldi’s new outpost, which hasn’t yet announced a tentative opening date, will occupy a roughly 20,000-square-foot space that once housed a Laneco-run Food Lane supermarket, which closed in 1997, along with a small portion of a former Kmart store, which closed in 2013, Balliet said.

ALDI has more than 2,200 stores in 38 states, including more than a half dozen locations in the Lehigh Valley area. Another Bethlehem Township Aldi operates a few miles away from the planned store on Easton Avenue.

A final bit of Bethlehem Township news: AutoZone is listed as coming soon to the Bethlehem Village Shoppes at 3650 Nazareth Pike, according to storefront signage.

The automotive replacement parts and accessories retailer, with nearly 7,000 stores in the U.S., Mexico and Brazil, has knocked down interior walls and will occupy what was previously three separate units in the shopping center.

In the New Tripoli section of Lynn Township, Hartman’s Butcher Shop is expected to reopen under new ownership and a new name in September — with a potential soft opening in August — at 7291 Autumn Road (just off Route 309), according to a news release.

Partners Scott Carey and Mike Schnalzer of Slate Belt Butchery in Saylorsburg purchased the 6,000-square-foot Hartman’s, which closed last summer after more than 80 years when owner Dennis Hartman retired.

They plan to renovate the shop before reopening it as Carey and Schnalzer Quality Meats, according to the announcement from Jeff Barber of Lehigh Financial Group, who helped arrange the Small Business Administration loan for the partners to acquire the property.

Carey and Schnalzer, who will continue their wholesale meat business under the Slate Belt Butchery name, acquired the Hartman’s real estate that included butchering equipment and a smokehouse, along with some of Hartman’s recipes. They will feature some of Hartman’s sausages and other meat items as well as their own recipes. Info: facebook.com/careyschnalzermeats.

From meat to mocha, Nowhere Coffee Co., which opened six months ago at 3127 Tilghman St. in South Whitehall Township, will hold a grand opening of its second location 10 a.m. to noon Aug. 13 at 318 Main St. in Emmaus.

Nowhere Coffee Co., which is opening a second Lehigh Valley location in Emmaus, is operated by husband and wife Juan and Lauren Vargas. (April Gamiz / The Morning Call)

The new outpost will occupy the former Pedro’s Cafe, a shared space with South Mountain Cycle.

Nowhere, operated by husband and wife Juan and Lauren Vargas, offers specialty beverages such as coffees, teas, frappes and smoothies along with food such as croissants, muffins, breakfast sandwiches and soups. Info: nowherecoffeeco.com.

A final bit of Lehigh County news: Macungie Diner, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner daily, is expected to open in a few weeks at 202 E. Main St., co-owner Will Perez said.

The renovated building previously housed Bear Swamp Diner, a popular eatery known for its French toast, omelettes and other breakfast fare that closed in 2020 after more than 30 years of business.

Macungie Diner, with seating for around 110 customers, will be operated by Perez and his parents, Manuel and Sully Perez, who also operate The New Schnecksville Diner in North Whitehall Township.

Macungie Diner’s menu will be “99% the same” as The New Schnecksville Diner’s menu, Will said, with menu highlights including breakfast favorites such as Belgian waffles, eggs Benedict and biscuits with sausage gravy; broiled or fried seafood platters such as flounder, scallops and crab cakes; and homestyle entrees such as baked meatloaf, roast turkey and breaded veal cutlet.

As my colleague Lindsay Weber recently reported, John J. Zeiner & Sons, which has sold, repaired and tuned pianos in east Allentown for more than 100 years, will close later this year.

Jean Zeiner Burch, a store employee and daughter of owner John Zeiner Sr., said the pandemic hit their family business hard, and several family members who helped run the store day-to-day are ready to move on.

The 830 Hanover Ave. store is holding a going-out-business sale and plans to close its doors in August or September. Info: 610-437-1887.

Also bidding farewell: A Subway restaurant, part of the world’s largest submarine sandwich chain with more than 37,000 locations in over 100 countries, closed July 22 at 1862 Leithsville Road in the Creekside Marketplace in Lower Saucon Township, according to storefront signs.

The posted messages indicated that the franchisee’s lease was up, but an exact reason for the closure was not disclosed.

The good news: Another Subway location is set to open in 2023 a couple of miles north at 1570 Main St. in Hellertown, according to the same posted announcement. That outpost would be at the same site as a Top Star Express Exxon gas station and convenience store.

A Subway restaurant, part of the world’s largest submarine sandwich chain with more than 37,000 locations in over 100 countries, closed July 22 at 1862 Leithsville Road in the Creekside Marketplace in Lower Saucon Township. (Ryan Kneller/The Morning Call)

On a personal note, today’s Retail Watch column marks my final piece of writing for The Morning Call.

I’m moving on to another professional endeavor, but I’ll remain forever grateful to you — the loyal readers, who shared countless business tips over the past nine years, and joined me on this crazy adventure of navigating the Lehigh Valley’s ever-changing retail and restaurant scene.

I took over this feature in April 2013, and it was an intimidating task, to say the least. The column’s popularity had already been firmly established under four previous columnists, and it was immediately obvious to me (from readers’ emails and phone calls) that the Retail Watch fan base wanted to see coverage of local businesses — eateries, salons, gyms and more — continue to expand.

So, I grabbed my reporter’s notebook, hit the storefronts and literally grew the column from an average of 25 inches (around 1,200 words) in 2013 to an average of 36 inches (around 1,700 words) in 2022.

I’ve authored more than 450 columns, covering the Lehigh Valley debuts of popular chains such as Costco, Duck Donuts, Whole Foods and Shake Shack, but my favorite memories stem from chatting with mom-and-pop operators — local folks who are diving headfirst and pouring their blood, sweat and tears into new business ventures.

It may sound corny, but even after nearly a decade of doing this, I still feel honored when individuals trust me to share their stories.

Last but not least, I want to conclude this final column by thanking my Morning Call colleagues and friends, who I’ve learned so much from during my 16 years at the newspaper.

I’d especially like to acknowledge my first mentor, former Morning Call editor Glenn Kranzley, who took a chance on a wide-eyed recent college grad in 2006.