Dive Brief:
- Taco Bell is celebrating the one-year anniversary of offering wedding services at its flagship Las Vegas Cantina Restaurant with a new line of wedding attire, wedding package and an expanded wedding chapel, per a news release. More than 60 weddings have taken place at the Taco Bell chapel, the company said.
- Wedding merchandise, including Mr. and Mrs. T-shirts, garters, champagne glasses and bow ties, are now available at Taco Bell's online Taco Shop. The brand is also expanding the Party Room at its Las Vegas Cantina to accommodate twice as many guests.
- Couples can book their Taco Bell weddings online. The wedding package includes a Taco Bell garter, bow tie, sauce packet bouquet, "Just Married" T-shirts, champagne flutes, a Cinnabon Delights wedding cake and a 12 pack of tacos.
Dive Insight:
Beyond the pure novelty factor, Taco Bell's offering of wedding services is potentially helping the brand forge a deeper emotional connection with fans around an important event in their lives. Taco Bell expanding its services and the chapel venue space after just one year in operation signals that the strategy has so far been successful, and that the chain has been able to tap into Las Vegas' reputation for hosting unconventional nuptials. The cantina averages about one wedding per week, according to the news release.
Taco Bell has broadly been focusing more on in-store and out-of-home events to promote new products, drive sales and build brand awareness. For National Taco Day last October, the restaurant offered a five-course dinner at its secretive test kitchen that required reservations via OpenTable and included a wrapped gift set of tacos. The brand also used OpenTable for a "Bell & Breakfast" in-store experience last summer that helped launch the then-new Naked Egg Taco.
Taco Bell extending its wedding offerings online through an e-commerce site fits in parent company Yum Brands strategy of selling oddball merchandise online to amplify awareness for its brands. KFC, which is also owned by the restaurant group, launched an e-commerce shop last year that has frequently been refreshed with seasonal offerings, including Christmas-themed attire around the holidays last year.
