Taco Bell has opened a “digital only” fast-food outlet in Times Square that uses automated kiosks to take food orders.
The Mexican-themed chain said the new location in the heart of Midtown features a bank of 10 kiosks where customers place their orders and pay. Opposite the kiosks stands a wall of locked cubbies that dispense tacos, burritos and chips.
The cubbies harken back to the days of automats that had populated Times Square in the decades through the 1970s, but Taco Bell said its new eatery represents the most “forward-tech” eatery in the chain.
Customers can see their burritos getting wrapped in the open kitchen, but when the order’s ready, it’s placed in heated cubbies that then light up pink. Customers enter their order number on the cubby’s touchscreen and the door opens.
“Built with the energy and on-the-go vibrance of the city in mind, the newest restaurant embraces technology in a whole new way to serve the demands of New Yorkers,” a spokesperson for Taco Bell said in a statement.
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