DeKALB – A new restaurant called Tacoverse opened at 701 W. Lincoln Highway.

Across from the DeKalb Police Department and a six-minute walk from the Holmes Student Center, Tacoverse officially opened its doors on Aug. 14.

Tacoverse offers daily specials throughout the week along with their dine-in and takeout service, with hours extending to as late as midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.

Tacoverse’s menu consists primarily of tacos, burritos and salad bowls.

To attract NIU students, Tacoverse is promoting their catering services for groups of at least four people. Tacoverse kicked off their first catering service with NIU’s Marching Band camp.

Kimberly Anne Keith, a current student at NIU and a former employee with NIU’s Building Services, is currently managing this new establishment.

“When I joined I made it clear that I wanted my voice heard,” Keith said. “I wanted a seat at the table where the decisions are made – especially regarding the tastes.”

The restaurant has locations in DeKalb and Crete, Illinois, as well as upcoming locations in Pontiac, Illinois and Crete, Indiana.

Beyond their 25% discount to all the police officers and firefighters, the restaurant offers daily specials including $10 burritos on Mondays and $8 for two tacos on Tuesdays.

Wednesday features discounted salad bowls and Thursday is dedicated as Queso Day, with its own discounted pricing.

Despite the late hours on Fridays and Saturdays, Keith emphasized that families often make up a large part of their crowd.

“Even though we’re open late on weekends, it’s still very much a family-friendly place,” Keith said.

Keith also noted that the officers from the DeKalb Police Department are among their largest clientele.

“We had a great opening week, but the business dipped during the Cornfest,” Keith said. “Now that students are back in town for fall, things are really picking up again.”

Tacoverse is open from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 10:30 a.m. to midnight on Friday and Saturday.