Taco Bell's New Floating Restaurant Redefines the Drive-Thru Experience

06/08/2022 04:19 pm EDT

Taco Bell finally has a solution for anyone who thinks drive-thrus are too slow or just wondered if tacos could be delivered via tube elevators. The fast-food chain opened its first Taco Bell Defy location, which has no dining room. Instead, the two-level building has four drive-thru lanes delivering food prepared on the building's top floor.

The Taco Bell Defy location opened in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, and works just like any traditional drive-thru. It's the delivery that is done completely differently. Instead of being handed an order by another human being, the orders are delivered via a "vertical lift" to their car windows.

Each lane also has a dedicated purpose. One is for customers who placed their orders through the Taco Bell app, while the others are for customers who play their order at the location. The restaurant has a "two-way audio and video technology service for customers to talk to team members on the second floor," the company said, reports CNN.

"For decades we've been committed to providing a fast, safe and friendly drive-thru experience," Taco Bell president Mike Grams said in a statement. "Now with our bold goal of creating a two-minute or less drive-thru experience for customers of this concept, Taco Bell Defy is the future."

Taco Bell hopes the concept will drastically cut the time customers spend in drive-thru lanes. A QSR Magazine survey said a Taco Bell order takes about 4.5 minutes to complete. Taco Bell hopes to cut that process to just two minutes or less at Taco Bell Defy locations by using multiple lanes.

Taco Bell, which is owned by Yum Brands, has tried several ideas since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. In 2020, the company launched the "Go Mobile" concept to add two drive-thru lanes and cut dining room size. Customers can use digital kiosks to take orders, alongside in-person staff. Yum Brands is also the parent company of Pizza Hut, Habit Burger, and KFC.

The new Defy location could take some attention away from Taco Bell's plagued Mexican Pizza relaunch. In April, the chain announced the return of the fan-favorite menu item. However, when it finally launched on May 19, it was only available for less than two weeks because Taco Bell was caught off-guard by the demand. One source told Living Mas the company expected to sell 6 million to 8 million, but over 20 million were sold.

"Turns out we underestimated how many of you love Mexican Pizza," Taco Bell tweeted on May 31. "7x more than we expected, to be exact. We are working as fast as we can to restock Mexican Pizza ingredients. We'll need some time to replenish our supplies, but when it comes back, we promise it's here to stay."

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