Taco Bell’s Expansion Anchored by Community Feel
New Restaurants Provide Tailored Concepts that Reflect Diverse
Community Experiences
IRVINE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Remember the original Taco Bell mission restaurants, complete with a
bell, an outdoor patio and fire pit?
That classic architectural design redefined the fast food experience for
generations to come. Today, Taco Bell announced a new line of restaurant
designs that will do the same: with a nod to the future and a wink to
the past. As part of its expansion plans to open 2,000 new restaurants
by 2022, Taco Bell is unveiling and testing four new restaurant designs
built to reflect the vibrant communities in which they operate.
“Building new restaurants is a key component to the overall growth and
evolution of Taco Bell,” said Brian Niccol, Chief Executive Officer at
Taco Bell Corp. “Great design, Great Food and Great Economics is at the
heart of our growth.”
The four designs will make their debut in Orange County, California this
summer through existing restaurant remodels, with broader roll-out
planned in 2016, including plans to expand in urban locations with the
Taco Bell Cantina concept.
-
Heritage: Inspired by its culinary roots in Mexican-inspired
food with a twist, this style is a modern interpretation of Taco
Bell’s original Mission Revival-style characterized by warm white
walls with classic materials in the tile and heavy timbers. -
Modern Explorer: This rustic modern style is a refined version
of the brand’s Cantina Explorer restaurants and can easily fit into a
suburban or rural environment. Inspired by the farms that make our
food, this style reinforces Taco Bell’s commitment to the best
ingredients, authenticity and transparency of materials and dining
preparation. -
California Sol: Inspired by Taco Bell’s California roots and
the California lifestyle, this design blurs the lines between indoor
and outdoor. It’s a celebration of dining al fresco and embraces a
laid-back beachy feel both inside and out. -
Urban Edge: This design represents an eclectic mix of
international and street style done the Taco Bell way. This style is
inspired by timeless design married with cutting-edge elements of the
urban environment.
“While all four restaurant designs each have a different contextual
personality, they all share a commonality in expressing Taco Bell’s
brand like never before,” stated Marisa Thalberg, Chief Marketing
Officer at Taco Bell Corp. “From the open kitchen that showcases our
freshly prepared foods to the community tables designed for friends to
hang out, each of these formats fosters a modern, unique experience.”
“It’s no longer one size fits all,” stated Deborah Brand, VP of
Development and Design at Taco Bell Corp. “Consumers are looking for
localized, customized and personalized experiences that reflect the
diversity of their communities – the flexibility in bringing these four
designs to life gives us just that.”
Reducing the environmental footprint of stores was top of mind when
developing these new restaurant designs, which feature LED lights and
energy-efficient heating and cooling equipment. All local California
locations will leverage reclaimed wood from California ports and, where
possible, newly built restaurants will incorporate more sustainable
landscape features such as solar panel canopies over drive-thrus and
reclaimed water for irrigation.
In 2015 Taco Bell opened over 275 new restaurants, remodeled about 600
more, and is currently on pace to exceed both numbers in 2016.
Of the 2,000 restaurants planned to be built by 2022, 200 will be urban
locations – a typically underrepresented geographic area for the brand.
In 2015, Taco Bell also opened up the first of its two “Cantina”
restaurants in San Francisco and Chicago. These urban concept
restaurants have five things in common that differentiate them from
standard Taco Bell restaurants: décor, localized artwork, open kitchen
layout, open plating and shareable menus. Additionally, Cantina
restaurants may also serve alcoholic beverages, which can include beer,
wine, sangria and twisted Freezes.
Atlanta is currently being explored for the next urban development,
while numerous cities across the U.S. are under consideration for future
locations. These include major metropolitan areas from New York, Boston
and Ohio to smaller cities with revitalizing downtown areas like
Berkeley, Austin and Fayetteville.
About Taco Bell Corp.
Taco Bell Corp., a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE: YUM), is the
nation’s leading Mexican-inspired quick service restaurant (QSR) brand.
From breakfast to late night, Taco Bell serves made-to-order and
customizable tacos and burritos, among other craveable choices, and is
the first QSR restaurant to offer American Vegetarian Association
(AVA)-certified menu items. Taco Bell and its more than 350 franchise
organizations proudly serve over 42 million customers each week through
nearly 7,000 restaurants across the nation, as well as through its mobile, desktop and
delivery ordering
services. Overseas, Taco Bell has over 250 restaurants, with plans to
add 2,000 more restaurants internationally within the next decade. The
brand encourages its fans to “Live Mas” and connects with them through
sports, gaming and new music via its Feed
The Beat® music program. Taco Bell also provides education
opportunities and serves the community through its nonprofit
organization, the Taco
Bell® Foundation™, and connects fans with their passions through
programs such as the Live
Mas Scholarship program. In 2016, Taco Bell was named as one of Fast
Company’s Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in the World.
Like: Facebook.com/tacobell –
Follow: @TacoBell (Twitter), tacobell (Instagram)
and tacobell (Snapchat) – Subscribe: YouTube.com/tacobell –
Explore: ta.co
Contacts
Taco Bell Corp.
Matt Prince, 949-863-4367
Matthew.Prince@yum.com
or
Edelman
Shira
Underberger, 323-202-1033
Shira.Underberger@edelman.com
