Fast-Food Chains Chase a Thirstier, Younger Crowd

Americans are drinking less alcohol, and fast-food chains have spotted a chance to fill the gap. They are courting young customers with frozen coffees and energy drinks that buyers can customize down to the flavor shot.

Taco Bell has pushed harder than most, opening more than 30 Live Más Cafés inside its existing restaurants, where workers it calls "Bellristas" serve creamy chillers, fruity refreshers, and seasonal drinks alongside the usual menu. A diner can wash down a Triple Double Crunchwrap with a Pineapple Lime Rockstar Energy Refresca and its 200 milligrams of caffeine, roughly twice a regular coffee.

Early results have already justified the expansion. After Taco Bell debuted Live Más Café outside San Diego in late 2024, that location saw a 40% sales lift, and the chain now plans a systemwide rollout as it chases $5 billion in beverage sales by 2030.

Last month the chain folded cold brew into the lineup, launching a permanent menu at Live Más Cafés across Southern California, Houston, Dallas, and Las Vegas. The cold brews use a proprietary blend of medium and dark roast Arabica beans, poured in 16- and 20-ounce cups at $4.59 and $4.99. Customers can top them with three new flavored cold foams: Caramel Dulce Cream, Vanilla Cream, and a purple, horchata-inspired Purple Velvet Cream. To mark the launch, the chain handed bandanas to early buyers, while supplies lasted.

Recently opened Live Más Café locations include:

- El Cajon, CA: 2827 Navajo Rd.

- Irvine, CA: 4101 Campus Dr.

- Mission Viejo, CA: 27770 Santa Margarita Pkwy.

- Dallas, TX: 5506 E. Mockingbird Ln.

- Dallas, TX: 3127 Inwood Rd.

- Houston, TX: 1730 Fry Rd.

"We've spent decades building a bold flavor legacy at Taco Bell, and now we're bringing that same innovative mindset to coffee at Live Más Café," said Global Chief Food Innovation Officer Liz Matthews. "As we continue to build the café experience, cold brew and cold foams felt like the natural next step — bringing a flavor-forward, premium coffee experience into fans' everyday routines."

McDonald's, the country's largest chain, plans to add a Red Bull Dragonberry Energizer, Dirty Dr. Pepper, and Mango Pineapple Refresher later this year, part of a menu revamp it tested nationwide after closing its beverage spinoff CosMc's. "Our fans' love for McDonald's beverages runs deep," a company spokesperson told Investopedia. "Next month, we're building on that passion with a new era of beverages, featuring a variety of Refreshers and crafted sodas rolling out nationwide."

Yum! Brands, parent of Taco Bell and KFC, estimates specialty coffees made up a quarter of the $169 billion nonalcoholic drink market in 2024, a market set to grow 5% a year through 2032. Beverages also carry some of fast food's highest margins, easy to discount.

The pull on young Americans comes down to control, Yum's research suggests. Its consumer insights agency, Collider, calls the trend "choice therapy," or reclaiming agency through small, sensory choices. Yum found that 61% of specialty beverage orders include add-ons like toppings or flavor shots, and 43% arrive with no food at all.

Dutch Bros has ridden the same demand to the top of the charts, growing revenue nearly 30% last quarter, the fastest in the Russell 3000, with same-store sales up nearly 8%. "It's about convenience. It's about energy. It's about iced, [and] innovation," CEO Christine Barone told investors in February.

by Alex Bailey | June 11, 2026 | SHARE