Taco Bell plans to announce the introduction of “Taco Mode,” a special option on the Lyft app that will allow passengers to tack on a Taco Bell ride-thru to their Lyft ride. (Courtesy Taco Bell)

Lyft passengers in “Taco Mode” will be picked up by Taco Bell themed car. The Taco Mode/Lyft experiment will be available only July 27-29 and Aug. 3-5 from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m at the Taco Bell at 1400 West Coast Highway in Newport Beach. (Courtesy Taco Bell)

Sound The gallery will resume in seconds

The Taco Mode/Lyft experiment will be available only July 27-29 and Aug. 3-5 from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m at the Taco Bell at 1400 West Coast Highway in Newport Beach. Riders within a certain geo-radius of the Newport Beach restaurant will only be able to access the Taco Mode experience. The Irvine-based fast food chain, known for its edgy marketing tactics, said Taco Mode is another way to give its core young consumers a convenient way to access the brand. (Courtesy Taco Bell/Lyft)

Passengers in Taco Mode will be treated to various swag and food once they enter the taco-themed car, including a free Doritos Locos Taco. The Taco Mode/Lyft experiment will be available only July 27-29 and Aug. 3-5 from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m at the Taco Bell at 1400 West Coast Highway in Newport Beach. (Courtesy Taco Bell)

The Taco Mode/Lyft experiment will be available only July 27-29 and Aug. 3-5 from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m at the Taco Bell at 1400 West Coast Highway in Newport Beach. Riders within a certain geo-radius of the Newport Beach restaurant will only be able to access the Taco Mode experience. The Irvine-based fast food chain, known for its edgy marketing tactics, said Taco Mode is another way to give its core young consumers a convenient way to access the brand. (Courtesy Taco Bell/LYFT)



During the Taco Mode/Lyft test, passengers will receive a free Doritos Locos Taco. (Courtesy Taco Bell)

On Tuesday, Taco Bell plans to announce the introduction of “Taco Mode,” a special option on the Lyft app that will allow passengers to tack on a Taco Bell ride-thru to their Lyft ride. (Courtesy Taco Bell)

Taco Bell, which has become an expert at catering to experience-driven millennials, is jumping into the gig economy in a new partnership with Lyft.

On Tuesday, July 25 the fast-food chain will introduce “Taco Mode,” a special option on the Lyft ridesharing app that will allow passengers to tack on a Taco Bell “ride-thru.” Once a passenger selects “Taco Mode” on the app, the Lyft map will morph: Car icons will turn into tacos “and soon a taco-themed car will pick them up and take the passenger to their next destination: Taco Bell,” the Irvine-based chain said in a statement.

Passengers in Taco Mode will be treated to various swag and food once they enter the taco-themed car, including a free Doritos Locos Taco. As you go through the Taco Bell drive-through to snatch your order, expect the lane to be “decked out with special lighting, completing the Taco Mode experience,” Taco Bell said.

But there’s a catch.

The Taco Mode/Lyft experiment will only be available from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. July 27-29 and Aug. 3-5 at the Taco Bell at 1400 West Coast Highway in Newport Beach. Riders within a certain geographical radius of the Newport Beach restaurant will be able to access the Taco Mode experience. Roughly 15 Lyft vehicles — all wrapped with cartoonish taco and tortilla chip graphics — will be available in the area, Taco Bell said.

The fast food chain, known for its edgy marketing tactics, said Taco Mode is another way to give its core young consumers a convenient way to access the brand.

Related Articles Get cheaper cheeseburgers on National Cheeseburger Day, Sept. 18

El Pollo Loco launches new line of L.A. Mex Burritos

Taco Bell will remove Mexican Pizza from its menu this year

McDonald’s announces spicy Chicken McNuggets and a Chips Ahoy McFlurry “We realized that for every person who has asked their Lyft driver to make a pit-stop at Taco Bell – and we’ve seen many – there are likely those who weren’t sure if this was possible,” Taco Bell’s Chief Marketing Officer Marisa Thalberg said in a statement. “With the advent of this fantastic partnership with Lyft, we will erase any lingering uncertainty and celebrate the ability to ‘ride-thru’ in Taco Mode.”

Roughly 28 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds and 19 percent of 30- to 49-year-olds have used ride-hailing services, according to a 2016 report by the Pew Research Center. The median age of adult ride-hailing users in the United States is 33, the report said.

Market research firm NPD Group in New York said time-strapped Gen Xers are also demanding more convenience when it comes to the foodservice industry. NPD restaurant analyst Bonnie Riggs said restaurants who “enhance engagement” among their core consumers will increase sales and loyalty.

“In a competitive environment it’s important for restaurant operators to understand how to gain the attention of important consumer groups,” Riggs said in a statement released Monday.

Taco Bell and Lyft plan to add more Taco Mode ride-sharing options in other markets by the end of the year with an eventual national rollout expected in 2018. The Taco Bell pit stop is not expected to drive up the price of the Lyft ride. The cost of the ride will be calculated based on your pickup and drop-off location within the app.