OBSERVER Photo by Jo Ward 436 Central Ave. will be the location for the joint venture of Lena’s Pizza and Taqo in the city of Dunkirk.

Lena’s Pizza and Taqo are opening a new location in a joint effort at the old Patient’s Pharmacy in Dunkirk.

In a planning board meeting held Wednesday, owners Matt Swank and Nick Keefe decided to join as there is no conflict of interest with their food choices.

“We kind of looked at each other and we’re like, ‘We really don’t compete.’ If you want tacos, you want tacos. If you want pizza, you want pizza. What’s better than doing it out of the same facility with some shared costs?” Keefe said

The owners plan to keep their existing facilities in Fredonia, and Swank is in the process of opening a Lena’s in Westfield.

“In continuing to further our expansion, we’re looking into that building at 436 Central in Dunkirk,” Swank said. “We have a loyal customer base down in Dunkirk. What we’re really trying to do is alleviate some of the business at our Fredonia facility.”

When asked about changes to the building, the answer was mostly interior features.

“There’s companies that sell walk-in cooler walls, that you can have set inside the facility and we have that one back room, we’re looking to enclose that as the walk-in cooler without having to do any additions on to the back end of the building,” Swank said. “It’s literally half the price of what we were looking to do from an outdoor addition and build with the concrete necessary and things like that. After that it’s getting the hoods in, obviously we’ve got to hang those, but other than that it’ll be set as is.”

The planning board asked for any changes be presented as far as paint colors, signage, exterior lighting, landscaping and garbage, which will be presented at the next meeting

As for a time line Swank commented that he’d be “in deep, deep trouble if I’m not open by the Super Bowl.”