Not Your Parents’ Fast-Food Restaurant

Brand: “Now that we’ve freed ourselves from one size fits all, this is the tip of the iceberg. We’ve always allowed our customers to customize everything on the menu, so why not in our restaurants?”

IRVINE, CA—Taco Bell’s recently revealed design changes reflect a desire to be more locally relevant and to blur the distinction between quick-serve and any other restaurant category, the firm’s VP of development and design Deborah Brand tells GlobeSt.com. As we recently reported, as part of its expansion plans to open 2,000 new restaurants by 2022, Taco Bell is unveiling and testing four new restaurant designs built to reflect the vibrant communities in which they operate. We spoke exclusively with Brand about how the designs were created, what consumers look for in a quick-serve restaurant and how this branch of the restaurant industry is changing due to consumers’ shifting buying habits.

GlobeSt.com: What went into creating the new Taco Bell designs you’re revealing?