Taco Bell bets on Vegas with splashy Cantina, logo refresh

Taco Bell Corp. made its debut Monday on the Las Vegas Strip, opening its 7,000th domestic restaurant with its Cantina model, a refreshed logo and such new elements as retail merchandise and a “Freeze Wall” of frozen drinks. Diners can choose to add alcohol to the frozen drinks.

“This flagship restaurant is our ultimate expression of the Taco Bell brand and lifestyle,” said Marisa Thalberg, Taco Bell chief marketing officer, in a statement.

Alongside its opening, Taco Bell revealed its first logo refresh in more than 20 years.

In addition to its 7,000 domestic units, Taco Bell Corp., a subsidiary of Louisville, Ky.-based Yum! Brands Inc., has 250 units abroad.

Taco Bell said the refreshed logo is an “evolution, not revolution.” The logo can be customized to locations with color, patterns and texture. Digital rollout of the logo refresh began Monday, and the company expects restaurant design and packaging to roll out gradually. The refreshed logo was created in partnership with the creative consultancy Lippincott and Taco Bell’s internal design group, TBD.

Some of the new offering of retail merchandise features “Las Vegas” prominently.

For the first time, customers can buy Taco Bell-branded merchandise and memorabilia in the restaurant. Selections range from hats, shirts and bags to bikinis, rings and sweatshirts.

Exterior signage features some of the changes in the Taco Bell logo, the first refresh since 1995.

The Las Vegas location has an open kitchen design and food is served in baskets. The menu includes the tapas-like shareables available in other Cantina restaurants, of which there are one each in Austin, Chicago and San Francisco.

The two-story Taco Bell features a wall of glass at the front, an upstairs mezzanine and lounge overlooking and an outdoor patio on Harmon Corner and the Vegas Strip.

The new Las Vegas flagship restaurant features digital menu boards and digital cues to monitor customers’ order process. Portable ordering tablets are expected to reduce wait times. Sixteen screens line the two-story interior wall and will feature entertainment, live-stream video, sports and social-media conversations.