Are Southern Californians ready for chalupas at their doorstep?

Last year, Taco Bell gave time-strapped customers the ability to pay by phone for their meals. Starting today, the Irvine-based chain is rolling out its next hassle-free service: home delivery.

In a partnership with Palo Alto-based DoorDash, Taco Bell is testing home or office delivery of its entire menu at more than 200 restaurants in California and Texas, including locations in Orange County and Los Angeles. Orders can be made through DoorDash’s app or website for an average fee of $3.99.

“Knowing that delivery is the No. 1 request from our consumers, we see a tremendous opportunity to bring the Taco Bell experience to fans where and when they want it most,” Taco Bell chief executive Brian Niccol said Tuesday.

During early testing in Orange County and Northern California, delivery times have been clocked at roughly 38 minutes, Taco Bell officials said. They said the timing would be no different than driving to a local Taco Bell, ordering your food, and taking it home to eat.

Roughly 75 restaurants in 29 Orange County cities are participating with DoorDash, which is also testing the concept in the Bay Area and Dallas.

Eventually, Taco Bell hopes to provide delivery on a national scale because it “is something that is constantly bubbling up” on Taco Bell’s social media channels, said Tressie Lieberman, company VP of Innovation and On Demand said.

Technomic analyst Sara Monnette, who studies consumer trends, said Taco Bell is smart to be an early adopter of fast-food delivery as most of its loyal customers are millennials. Along with the emerging Gen Z group, these consumers are driving the on-demand economy, she said.

“Delivery is particularly important for reaching younger consumers who either do not drive, or are putting off car purchases or opting for car-sharing service,” said Monnette, a senior director at the Chicago-based restaurant research firm. “Delivery allows restaurants to reach consumers on their terms and also exposes them to a customer base who otherwise may not visit, or who may not visit frequently.”

Restaurant meal delivery is not new.

Businesses such as Restaurants on the Run and GrubHub, which merged earlier this year, have offered delivery and pickup services for years. But a bulk of these services work with casual and fast-casual restaurant partners such as Rubio’s, El Pollo Loco, El Torito, BJ’s Restaurants, California Pizza Kitchen and Capriotti’s.

In recent years, newcomers such as DoorDash and Postmates have entered the field with broader delivery strategies. Postmates offers on-demand delivery of personal services such as dry cleaning, groceries and electronics. Available in Orange and Los Angeles counties, Postmates can deliver food from fast-food restaurants such as Taco Bell or McDonald’s, a company representative said.

Founded two years ago in a Stanford dorm room, DoorDash offers delivery of everything from tacos to toothbrushes. However, to date, its primary partnerships have been with restaurants, the company said.

Its network of independent contract couriers, dubbed “dashers,” deliver meals in 250 cities, including parts of Orange County. In Mission Viejo, for example, dashers can fetch a Double Double from In-N-Out Burger or a latte from Starbucks, according to their website.

The Taco Bell deal is the first national partnership for DoorDash, which is looking to double its footprint by the end of the year.

“Today’s announcement shows our continued momentum in building top tier partnerships, expanding nationally, and providing the very best local delivery options to our customers,” said CEO Tony Xu.

Lieberman said partnering with DoorDash gives Taco Bell an instant foothold in the delivery sector, as the on-demand culture continues to explode.

Taco Bell declined to reveal its financial agreement with DoorDash.

Contact the writer: nluna@ocregister.com