With a menu featuring coffee, milkshakes and iced beverages, Taco Bell follows McDonald’s in introducing its own indulgence-focused café concept, Live Más Café
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Taco Bell has recently diversified its beverage menu to include frozen coffees, green teas and cold brew | Photo credit: Beekeeper Coffee/LinkedIn
US fast-food chain Taco Bell has opened a new café concept in San Diego, California, focused on coffee, milkshakes and iced beverages.
In a statement, the Yum! Brands-owned chain said it is seeking to ‘disrupt the beverage industry’ with its Live Más Café concept and expects specialist beverages to become a core part of its wider restaurant menu.
“We’re always looking for new ways to elevate the Taco Bell experience, and the Live Más Café is the perfect example of that. This innovative pilot concept is all about expanding the boundaries of what Taco Bell can be, creating a dynamic space where guests can experience our bold flavours in new and exciting ways,” said Scott Mezvinsky, President, Taco Bell.
Over the last 18 months, California-based Taco Bell has diversified its beverage menu to include frozen coffees, green teas and cold brew, as well as ready-to-drink horchata lattes in partnership with Beekeeper Coffee, as is seeks to make its drinks “just as iconic as our food”.
Taco Bell is not the only QSR chain seeking a slice of the US indulgence beverage category dominated by branded coffee shop giants, such as Starbucks, Dunkin’ and Panera Bread.
The launch of Live Más Café comes 12 months after US fast-food giant McDonald’s unveiled its own indulgence-led café concept, CosMc’s, and six months after 24-hour fast-food chain Whataburger outlined a goal to become a ‘go-to coffee shop’ in the US following the revamp of its hot and iced coffee menu.
Taco Bell has opened Live Más Café in partnership with California-based franchisee Diversified Restaurant Group, which also helped launch the fast-food chain’s upscale Cantina concept in 2015, which serves a premium restaurant menu alongside alcohol.
“Live Más Café is a bold new chapter in our journey of innovation. Rooted in Taco Bell’s cultural rebel spirit, Live Más Café redefines the consumer experience by bringing a new lineup of indulgent beverages. This isn’t just a menu update message – it’s a movement,” added SG Ellison, CEO, Diversified Restaurant Group.
Quick-service restaurant group Yum! Brands currently operates over 7,500 Taco Bell stores in the US and a further 1,000 across 30 international markets.