Gallery: First-of-its-kind Taco Bell set to open in Brooklyn Park
Customers will get their first experience of the first ever Taco Bell Defy when it opens in Brooklyn Park on Tuesday.
The new concept restaurant, which resembles more of a drive-thru bank than a takeout, features four lanes with food delivered to customers via vertical lifts that takes orders from the kitchen down a chute to the drive-thru kiosk.
Franchisee Border Foods calls it "the fastest way ever to get Taco Bell." The restaurant at Zane Avenue and Highway 610 opened for a media preview Monday before opening to the public Tuesday.
“Taco Bell Defy embodies the innovative, entrepreneurial spirit of Minnesota businesses and franchisees,” said Lee Engler, CEO of Border Foods. “It is a creative, technological solution for a faster, contactless experience for as many Taco Bell fans as possible and is poised to be the future of quick-service dining.”
The concept is mobile-order driven, as the company is aiming to reduce wait times to "two minutes or less." One traditional drive-thru lane will be made available for those who have their favorites ready to order at the speaker.
The three other lanes are for mobile orders, which will provide "fast, skip-the-line service" via digital check-in screens, so customers who ordered online can scan in their order via a unique QR code, then pull forward to pick up their food.
Food will be delivered "seamlessly and in a contactless manner via a proprietary lift system." Two-way audio and video technology let customers interact directly with workers in real-time.
The design of Taco Bell Defy will help it serve more customers at a building that's smaller or equal to existing stores, Border Foods says.
It's Taco Bell's 230th U.S. restaurant, and Border Foods' 82nd.
