If you happened upon the new temporary Taco Bell Restaurant in Austin, Texas at SXSW (South by Southwest Festival) this year you would have noticed a distinctly new design, a green space, engineered entirely out of shipping containers.
Taking 3 days to install, this is the first container restaurant Taco Bell has built and it is currently considering placing this particular configuration in a permanent setting yet to be determined. Aesthetically, they opted to keep the industrial look inherent in containers, mainly painting and welding minor modifications to accommodate their particular needs. The result is a modern, clean and trendy appearance that fits right in with the Austin vibe. Utilizing shipping containers as modular components is becoming a popular one in restaurant/bar settings, typically utilizing different containers for cold storage, bar, offices, restrooms, and kitchens, with seating areas as both outside and/or inside spaces.
There are numerous configurations that can be optimized for the particular space given. Taco Bell is most likely test driving the concept as it would be useful not just for temporary situations like SXSW but for permanent locations as well.
Shipping containers work well with LEED requirements, are affordable, reliable, and can be installed easily and quickly. Taco Bell plans to open 2,000 new U.S. locations by 2022.
