Taco Bell, in collaboration with its longtime franchisee Diversified Restaurant Group, has launched a new beverage concept called Live Más Café in San Diego. The café offers traditional Taco Bell menu items as well as specialty drinks such as chillers, agua refrescas, coffee and more.

The company describes it as “a unique experience where fans can enjoy specialty drinks…This cafe redefines the Taco Bell experience with an innovative beverage lineup and Bellristas, offering exceptional taste and hospitality in a comfortable, inviting atmosphere without being fussy to forego the great.” Value that customers love.”

Related: How Taco Bell is trying to appeal to even more people

In fact, the chain’s innovation wheel has recently focused heavily on beverages. For example, in late 2023, Taco Bell began testing coffee coolers and churro coolers. In July, the company launched a Limonada Freeze range, while earlier this year the company began testing Agua Refrescas, a new line of drinks with fruit flavors blended with real fruit pieces and a green tea base. Taco Bell also began testing cold brew coffee options in 2022, while it began testing Baja Blast Charged Berry and Mtn Dew Energy Baja Blast last year. Earlier this year, marketing chief Taylor Montgomery said the company wanted to “make our drinks as iconic as our food.”

“We are always looking for new ways to enhance the Taco Bell experience, and Live Más Café is the perfect example of this,” Taco Bell President Scott Mezvinsky said in a statement. “This innovative pilot concept is about pushing the boundaries of what Taco Bell can be and 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 was key to realizing this vision. Together, we are not only pushing the boundaries of innovation, but also reinforcing the power of strong franchise relationships to fuel Taco Bell’s continued growth and success.”

Related: Taco Bell launches its “Live Más” advertising campaign.

Diversified Restaurant Group was formed in 2014 with the acquisition of nearly 30 Taco Bell restaurants. Within 10 years, the company expanded its portfolio tenfold and last year exceeded the 300-unit mark. A doubling is planned in the next five years. The franchisee tested several Taco Bell innovations during this period. For example, in 2015, DRG introduced the cantina design in California and has since expanded the model to markets such as Las Vegas, where hundreds of weddings have taken place. 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 innovation journey. Rooted in the cultural rebel spirit of Taco Bell, Live Más Café is redefining the consumer experience by introducing a new selection of delicious beverages. This isn’t just a menu update message – it’s a movement. “The new beverage platform will empower consumers to live boldly and beyond, and Taco Bell has allowed us to co-write the book on this exciting new concept,” DRG CEO SG Ellison said in a statement.

Taco Bell’s Live Más Café test comes at a time when the conversation around specialty drinks is gaining significant steam, thanks in large part to McDonald’s introduction of the CosMc’s concept late last year, as well as the astonishing growth of concepts like Dutch Bros, 7 Brew, Biggby’s, Roller and more. According to Technomic Ignite’s data, the roughly 20 coffee chains that make up the data firm’s top 500 for 2023 added a total of nearly 1,400 locations last year, surpassing every other menu category. Coffee chains are not alone in their meteoric growth. Other beverage concepts like Swig and Smoothie King also had a strong 2023, and that momentum continued into 2024.

Live Más Café has the potential to not only ensure that Taco Bell remains an important part of this conversation, but also to increase sales and increase awareness among beverage-seeking consumers. As Liz Matthews, Taco Bell’s chief food innovation officer, said in an interview earlier this year, products like the Churro Chillers are “an addition, an additional sale, an additional afternoon or night out, a special travel intent.”

The café is open daily from 7 a.m. to 3 a.m. Fans can follow the cafe on Instagram.

Contact Alicia Kelso at (email protected)