NEW YORK (AP) – Taco Bell says it will serve beer, wine and “mixed alcohol freezes” at a new location set to open in Chicago this summer.
The chain, owned by Yum Brands Inc., says the restaurant will have a new design it’s testing in urban markets. It says the layout has already been launched in South Korea, Japan and the United Kingdom.
A rendering of the design shows a row of lime-green stools along a bar that peers into an open kitchen, flanked by an exposed brick wall. The chain says the location “will highlight the work of local artists” to give it a neighborhood feel.
The new layout is the latest sign Taco Bell is working to shed its fast-food image and appeal to millennials, who marketers say prefer places and products that seem less cookie-cutter and more “authentic.” Wendy’s, which is also trying to recast itself as a step up from traditional fast-food, has also been pushing a remodeling of restaurants that features more inviting and mixed seating options.
The push to embrace a new image extends to food as well. Last month, Taco Bell announced it would drop artificial flavors and colors from its menu by the end of this year, although co-branded products like the Doritos Locos tacos would be exempt.