First Taco Bell Cantina opens (2015)
Taco Bell opened its first Cantina in Lakewood, California. The location served beer and wine alongside tacos, with an open kitchen and lounge seating—a break from the chain's standard drive-thru model.
Cantinas spread to cities including Chicago, San Francisco, and Las Vegas, mostly as walk-up urban stores.
The format became Taco Bell's vehicle for alcohol and upscale interiors, later extending to venues like stadiums and campuses.
The Denver airport Cantina is the same format—alcohol, open kitchen—applied to a busy travel hub.
