Taco Bell’s Live Más Café is expanding into the Lone Star State, with a Dallas opening scheduled on Nov. 6 and a Houston debut on Nov. 20. The Texas entry follows Taco Bell’s announcement in June that it plans to open 30 new cafés by the end of the year, with the ultimate goal of bringing the concept nationwide.
The chain is targeting $5 billion in beverage sales by 2030, which is on par with systemwide sales at Raising Cane’s, KFC, and Olive Garden. Taco Bell ended 2024 with about $16.2 billion in domestic sales, according to Technomic.
This national expansion builds on the success of the Live Más Cafés that have opened across Southern California since the concept’s debut in late 2024. The Irvine, Calif., location that opened in September, for instance, is already selling more than 900 drinks per day, according to the company. One in three orders include a Live Más Café-specific drink, it said.
Additionally, Taco Bell has sold more than 600 million beverages in 2025, as of August, marking a 16% increase from 2024. Sixty-two percent of all Taco Bell orders have included a beverage so far this year.
“Live Más Café was created in response to what we’re seeing from Gen Z, a real cultural shift where beverages are becoming lifestyle drivers. We’ve always been about bold innovation, but not just for the sake of it. We do it to create connection and give our fans more moments to live más throughout the day. Live Más Café is another example of how we take what we do best — craveable, fun, and a little bit rebellious — and bring it into a whole new space,” global chief brand officer Taylor Montgomery said in a statement.
The Live Más Café features more than 20 handcrafted drinks made-to-order by “Bellristas” — from Refrescas to specialty coffees and seasonal sips like the Caramel Apple Empanada Chiller.
Specialty beverages have become an intense battleground in recent years, and Taco Bell certainly isn’t the only chain pressing the gas in the category. McDonald’s has created a new team focused specifically on beverage and dessert innovations and recently rolled some of the drinks developed at its now-discontinued, beverage-focused CosMc’s concept into test. Wendy’s has also recently announced the expansion of its beverage offerings as part of its 2025 strategic initiatives, while KFC is experimenting with beverage innovations at its Saucy concept.
This work comes as specialty beverage chains such as 7 Brew, HTeaO, Scooter’s Coffee, Dutch Bros, Gong Cha, Ziggi’s Coffee, PJ’s Coffee of New Orleans, Swig, and Nektar Juice Bar have all experienced staggering growth in the past couple of years.
Contact Alicia Kelso at [email protected]
Follow her on TikTok: @aliciakelso