Taco Bell has launched a new beverage concept called Live Más Café in San Diego in partnership with its longtime franchisee Diversified Restaurant Group. The café includes specialty drinks like Chillers, Agua Refrescas, coffees, and more, alongside traditional Taco Bell menu items.
The company describes it as "a unique experience where fans can enjoy specialty drinks ... This café redefines the Taco Bell experience with an innovative beverage lineup and Bellristas, providing exceptional flavor and hospitality in a cozy, inviting atmosphere, all while maintaining the great value customers love."
Indeed, the chain’s innovation wheel has tilted heavily toward beverages of late. In late 2023, Taco Bell began testing Coffee Chillers and Churro Chillers, for instance. In July, the company launched a Limonada Freeze lineup, while earlier this year, the company began testing Agua Refrescas, a new line of beverages infused with fruit flavors, mixed with real fruit pieces and a green tea base. Taco Bell also began testing cold brew coffee options in 2022, while last year, it began testing Baja Blast Charged Berry, and Mtn Dew Energy Baja Blast. Earlier this year, chief marketing officer Taylor Montgomery said the company wants to "make our beverages just as iconic as our food."
“We’re always looking for new ways to elevate the Taco Bell experience, and the Live Más Café is the perfect example of that,” Taco Bell president Scott Mezvinsky said in a statement. “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 flavors in new and exciting ways. The strength of our partnership with Diversified Restaurant Group has been key in bringing this vision to life. Together, we’re not only pushing the envelope on innovation but also reinforcing the power of strong franchise relationships in driving Taco Bell’s continued growth and success.”
Diversified Restaurant Group formed in 2014 with the acquisition of nearly 30 Taco Bell restaurants. Within 10 years, it increased its portfolio 10x, surpassing 300 units last year with plans to double in the next five years. The franchisee has tested several Taco Bell innovations within that timeframe. In 2015, for instance, DRG introduced the Cantina design in California and has since expanded the model to markets like Las Vegas, where it has hosted hundreds of weddings. DRG has also tested electric vehicle charging stations and efficient pickup areas for delivery drivers.
“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. The new beverage platform will empower consumers to live bold and live beyond, and Taco Bell has allowed us to help write the book on this exciting new concept," DRG chief executive officer SG Ellison said in a statement.
Taco Bell’s Live Más Café test comes as the conversation surrounding specialty beverages picks up significantly, thanks in large part to McDonald’s launch of its CosMc’s concept late last year, as well as the staggering growth of concepts such as Dutch Bros, 7 Brew, Biggby’s, Scooter’s, and more. According to Technomic Ignite data, the roughly 20 coffee chains occupying the data firm’s Top 500 for 2023 added nearly 1,400 cumulative locations last year, outpacing every other menu category. Coffee chains aren't alone in their meteoric growth. Other beverage concepts like Swig and Smoothie King also had a strong 2023 with that momentum continuing in 2024.
Live Más Café has the potential to not only ensure Taco Bell remains a big part of that conversation but also increase incremental sales and top-of-mind awareness for beverage-seeking consumers. As Liz Matthews, Taco Bell’s chief food innovation officer, said during an interview earlier this year, products like the Churro Chillers are “an add-on, an incremental sale, an extra afternoon or late-night trip, a special trip intent.”
The café is open daily from 7 a.m. to 3 a.m. Fans can follow the café on Instagram.
Contact Alicia Kelso at [email protected]
