Yahoo Finance Taco Bell to start serving beer in Canada
Yo quiero Taco Bell y una cerveza, por favor.
Taco Bell Canada revealed its plans to serve alcoholic beverages at select locations across the country on Wednesday.
The U.S. fast food chain said in a press release that the new drink options will be available beginning in June, with its flagship store in Toronto’s trendy Queen West neighbourhood expected to be the first to carry them.
Taco Bell Canada said customers will initially only be able to buy beer, but there is the potential to add further alcoholic beverages to the menu.
“Beer is something that goes well with Mexican food,” Amanda Clark, general manager of Taco Bell Canada, told the Financial Post.
The franchise, which is known for its budget, Mexican-inspired cuisine, currently operates 170 locations in Canada but plans to increase that number to 700 over the next five to 10 years, according to the Financial Post.
Clark said that most of the 11 locations set to open this year will serve alcohol.
Its Saskatchewan unit will run a pilot project that will see it offer frozen drinks such as Margaritas.
With its new restaurants, Taco Bell Canada is also looking to distance itself from its fast food reputation, which saw it offer fare such as the Doritos Locos, a beef taco encased in a neon-orange Dorito shell.
The redesigned locations will feature “local artwork” and “open-kitchen layouts” aimed at increasing transparency into how food is prepared.
“At the core of our new design, we stay true to our Californian heritage. We can’t wait for our fans to see it,” Clark said in the press release.
“Our initiatives are propelled by what the fans really want, and when it comes to dining experiences, we’re not afraid to let millennials take the driver’s seat.”
The changes are similar to the franchise’s “Cantina” restaurants, which were unveiled two years ago in the U.S.
The six concept locations list beer, wine, sangria and other frozen alcoholic drinks aon their menus.
The move is also reminiscent of KFC Canada’s “KFC Fresh” concept restaurants, which served beer and wine at two locations in Toronto.
However, the initiative failed to stick with customers and both eventually closed.
Robert Carter, executive director of market research firm NPD Canada, told the Financial Post that it might be difficult for Taco Bell to shake its reputation.
“They are perceived as cheap and cheerful gut-fill by consumers,” he said.
“They are looking at Mucho Burrito, which sells beer and has a more upscale environment, and wondering what opportunities there are for them in that category. The challenge is, sales of alcohol at restaurants is declining. For them to introduce alcohol, it might not be enough.”
