Taco Bell opens seven more Live Mas Cafes on a drink count it reports itself
Taco Bell named seven new Live Mas Cafe sites in Indiana, Southern California and Las Vegas, joining 39 that it says have sold about 1.3 million drinks. The figures cover volume only, and alcohol is listed only for the Las Vegas flagship.
The Product Desk
Key figures: approximately 1.3 million beverages sold by Live Mas Cafe since launching, per Taco Bell; 39 Live Mas Cafe locations now operating; the seven new sites are an increase of about 18% on the existing 39.
| Figure | Value | Note | Claim |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drinks sold since launch, approx., per Taco Bell | 1,300,000 beverages | 3 | |
| Cafes now operating | 39 locations | 2 | |
| Rise in sites, about | 18% | 16 |
What happened
- The Las Vegas flagship is a standalone cafe in a shipping container beside the Taco Bell Cantina on the Strip, due to open later this fall with more than 20 specialty drinks.
- Its alcoholic menu includes Boozy Mountain Dew Baja Blast, Strawberry Passionfruit Refresca Rush and Cold Brew Cinnatini.
- Indiana starts with a grand opening in West Lafayette on October 22, with cafes in Greenfield and Muncie expected before the end of the year.
- Three horchata drinks, including a new Vanilla Spiced Horchata Freeze, reach participating Taco Bell restaurants nationwide for a limited time on December 10.
- Taco Bell says the cafes have produced nearly two dozen beverage innovations, and that You Seem Pretty Pink for a Baja Blast is the best-selling launch in their history.
Why it matters
- What it limits constraint A pilot judged on drinks sold cannot separate novelty from habit, so the claim that the cafes work stays the company's description until repeat or per-site numbers appear.
- Who's exposed exposure The source lists alcohol only for the Las Vegas flagship, so any result from the boozy Baja Blast speaks to one Strip location. The Indiana and Southern California cafes are not listed with alcohol.
- What it sets up precedent The December 10 release puts three horchata drinks in front of customers who did not seek out a cafe, a larger and less self-selected group than the one behind the cafe drink count.
A customer who orders the Chocolate Horchata Cold Brew Float at a Live Mas Cafe pays from $4.79 for a small and $5.29 for a medium [11]. Taco Bell's evidence that the cafes work is a count of drinks like that one: about 1.3 million, across 39 locations [3][2].
Divided out, that is roughly 33,000 drinks per location [15]. The company did not disclose when the 39 locations opened, how many customers came back or what a cafe sells in a week, so the average cannot be turned into a pace.
Liz Matthews, Taco Bell's Global Chief Food Innovation Officer, said: "Seeing that excitement continue to grow across our Cafes tells us we're onto something special, and we're ready to take it even further with bold new drinks and more ways for fans to experience Live Mas Cafe." [12] The public record shows users buying drinks, and the best-seller ranking Taco Bell cites compares its cafe drinks only with each other [13].
The expansion is small. Three sites in Indiana, three in Southern California and one in Las Vegas make seven [14][7][8][5], an increase of about 18% on 39 [16]. The concept began as a test of specialty beverages such as frozen drinks, cold brew and Refrescas [4].
The drinks are moving on a separate track. Four horchata-inspired drinks arrived at the cafes on October 15 [9]. Two of them, the Strawberry Horchata Refresca and the Vanilla Spiced Horchata Refresca, go to participating restaurants nationwide on December 10, joined by a new Vanilla Spiced Horchata Freeze [10]. The Purple Horchata Chiller and the Chocolate Horchata Cold Brew Float are not on that list [17].
We think the expansion is a larger test whose result has not arrived. The tradeoff is that Taco Bell may hold repeat-purchase and margin data of its own, and if it does, the case for expanding is stronger than the public record shows.
Anyone weighing a pilot that is about to scale can sort its evidence on two axes. The first is what the figure counts: purchases, or buyers who returned. The second is where it was gathered: the original sites, or the markets being added. Taco Bell's published figure counts purchases at the original sites [3], which puts it in the weakest of the four cells. The seven new sites are the first chance to fill the other three.
What to watch
- Whether Taco Bell publishes a per-cafe sales figure or repeat-purchase rate after the Indiana and Southern California openings.
- How the three horchata drinks sell in ordinary restaurants after the December 10 release.
- Whether the alcoholic drinks appear at any site beyond the Las Vegas flagship.
Clarity's read
What the record supports and how the coverage leans. The claims behind it follow.
Reality
- Evidence40
- Adoption35
- Hype gap+15
- Incentives70
- Confidence60
Claim ledger
Ranked by verification strength, evidence, and original report placement.
- [1]
Taco Bell announced on October 15 plans for new Live Mas Cafe locations in Indiana, Southern California and Las Vegas.
- [2]
The Live Mas Cafe chain now operates 39 locations.
- [3]
Live Mas Cafe has sold approximately 1.3 million beverages since launching.
- [4]
Live Mas Cafe originally launched as a test concept focused on specialty beverages, including frozen drinks, cold brew coffee and Refrescas.
- [5]
A standalone flagship Live Mas Cafe on the Las Vegas Strip is scheduled to open later this fall, inside a shipping container next to the existing Taco Bell Cantina at 3717 S Las Vegas Blvd, with more than 20 specialty beverages and several Vegas-exclusive alcoholic drinks.
- [6]
The Las Vegas alcoholic drinks include Boozy Mountain Dew Baja Blast, Strawberry Passionfruit Refresca Rush and Cold Brew Cinnatini.
- [7]
In Indiana, Taco Bell is opening three Live Mas Cafe locations, beginning with a grand opening in West Lafayette at 252 E State Street on October 22, with Greenfield and Muncie expected to open before the end of the year.
- [8]
Southern California is receiving three new Live Mas Cafe locations: Century City Mall, Irvine and Tustin.
- [9]
Starting October 15, four horchata-inspired beverages are available at participating Live Mas Cafe locations, initially exclusive to the cafes: Purple Horchata Chiller, Chocolate Horchata Cold Brew Float, Strawberry Horchata Refresca and Vanilla Spiced Horchata Refresca.
- [10]
On December 10 the Strawberry Horchata Refresca and Vanilla Spiced Horchata Refresca, joined by a new Vanilla Spiced Horchata Freeze, will be available at participating Taco Bell restaurants nationwide for a limited time.
- [11]
The Chocolate Horchata Cold Brew Float starts at $4.79 for a small and $5.29 for a medium.
- [12]
"Seeing that excitement continue to grow across our Cafes tells us we're onto something special, and we're ready to take it even further with bold new drinks and more ways for fans to experience Live Mas Cafe."
- [13]
According to the company, the concept has introduced nearly two dozen beverage innovations, including You Seem Pretty Pink for a Baja Blast, which became the best-selling beverage launch in Live Mas Cafe history.
- [14]
Seven new Live Mas Cafe sites are named: one in Las Vegas, three in Indiana, three in Southern California.
- [15]
The average is roughly 33,000 drinks per location since launch.
- [16]
Seven new sites are an increase of about 18% on the existing 39.
- [17]
Two of the four cafe horchata drinks, the Purple Horchata Chiller and the Chocolate Horchata Cold Brew Float, are not named for the December 10 national release.
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Sources
1 independent publisher whose own reporting we read for this story.
- dexerto.comTaco Bell announces new Live Mas Cafe locations with boozy Baja Blast and horchata drinks
1 article · October 15, 2026
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