Back in May, Taco Bell announced they would be opening a pop-up hotel in Palm Springs in August. Along with the announcement came a lot of questions from “Why would anyone want to stay at a Taco Bell hotel?” to “Oh my god, how do I immediately make a reservation to stay at the Taco Bell hotel?!” But the biggest question: What exactly makes a hotel a “Taco Bell hotel”?
The year is 2019. Feral millennials facing the hunger pangs of a mild buzz caused by the consumption of a responsible amount of hard seltzer roam the city streets in search of any Taco Bell selling menu items made with tortillas, lest they have to face the horrible alternative: ordering from any of the dozens of other restaurants available on Postmates.
Vacations are usually time to indulge in a few of the finer things in life, but inevitably if you’re flying, driving, or taking a bus or train to get where you’re going, they also involve some kind of quick-service restaurants along the way.
Once upon a time, test marketing was just that: a test. Maybe Taco Bell was unsure if people would be interested in a taco with — I don’t know — chicken instead of beef? So instead of wasting resources launching the prospective item nationwide, they’d try it out and collect feedback in a single market — maybe Peoria?
If there’s one stereotype Taco Bell is known for (and doesn’t shy away from) it’s being the ultimate late-night fast food choice of millions of revelers either during a rowdy night out or after the party disbands in the wee hours of the morning. But, of course, the inherent problem with being good drunk food is getting drunk people to said food, safely.
