Taco Bell is heading into the future. The fast-food chain recently introduced customers to a high-tech, two-story restaurant in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Park.
Branded as “Taco Bell Defy,” the location includes a four-lane drive-thru where hungry patrons can order their food via video technology. Once a pair of Crunchy Taco Supremes are ordered, they are then delivered to the customer through a food elevator.
In a video posted online, the chain called the elevator a “vertical lift” or a “food tube.” OK, so the technology doesn’t seem any more advanced than your average drive-thru at a local bank, but that didn’t stop social media users from making some sci-fi references.
The one trending the most online on Wednesday (June 8) was the 1993 film Demolition Man starring Sylvester Stallone, Sandra Bullock, and Wesley Snipes. The film, which is set in the year 2032, explains that “Taco Bell was the only restaurant to survive the franchise wars.” When Stallone and Bullock’s characters visit Taco Bell in the movie, it is portrayed as a fancy restaurant with parking valets, a live pianist, and high-end cuisine.
“Taco Bell Defy is an incredible innovation for our brand, and one that’s meeting our consumer in a really unique way,” Mike Grams, Taco Bell’s president and global COO, said in a statement. “For decades, we’ve been committed to providing a fast, safe and friendly drive-thru experience; 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.”
We’re sure fans won’t care how their food is delivered to them just as long as they never kill the Mexican pizza again.