Taco Bell Reinvents Retirement: The Cantinas Experience
Taco Bell, the fast-food chain known for its maverick marketing campaigns, is at it again. This time, they’re inviting people to ditch the traditional retirement timeline and “live mas” senior-style with “The Cantinas.”
The Cantinas isn’t your average retirement community brochure. Forget bingo nights and shuffleboard tournaments. This two-day San Diego getaway, planned for August 17th and 18th, is all about embracing a “sun-soaked” and leisurely lifestyle – with a Taco Bell twist.
Attendees, aged 21 and over, can expect a weekend filled with “senior-inspired” activities like early-morning golf, invigorating aerobics sessions, and some friendly pickleball competition.
This isn’t Taco Bell’s first foray into unconventional experiences. They’ve dabbled in creating hotel concepts and even hosted weddings in the past.
“The Cantinas early retirement community,” says Taylor Montgomery, U.S. Chief Marketing Officer of Taco Bell in a press release, “just like our brand, represents a place where all generations can come together, regardless of age, to Live Mas however they want.”
While The Cantinas won’t be taking place within a real senior living facility, nor is it specifically geared towards older adults, it’s another sign of a growing trend: major brands taking an interest in the senior living market. Companies like Margaritaville and Disney have also been exploring this space.
For Christy Van Der Westhuizen, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Legend Senior Living, The Cantinas is a positive development for the industry.
“It encourages people to envision themselves living as a retiree,” she explains to Senior Housing News.
Van Der Westhuizen highlights how The Cantinas, with its lighthearted approach, prompts people to consider their ideal retirement lifestyle – laid-back and leisurely, or perhaps more vibrant and stimulating? “Why wait?” The Cantinas seems to ask, “Live your best life now!”
This isn’t the first time Taco Bell has targeted older adults in their marketing strategies. Over a decade ago, a Super Bowl ad featured seniors living life to the fullest – think pool-jumping in their underwear, club foam parties, and even getting tattoos.
While promotions like The Cantinas might not depict the everyday reality of senior living communities, Van Der Westhuizen believes they serve a purpose.
“If anything, it provokes you to think about retirement, which I think is a positive in this case,” she says. “The more we can talk about what retirement means, the more we are destigmatizing senior living.”
So, whether you’re nearing retirement or simply curious about a weekend of unconventional leisure, Taco Bell’s The Cantinas offers a unique (and undeniably cheeky) experience.
Just don’t expect bingo nights or bridge tournaments – this retirement community is all about embracing life with a side of Taco Bell flair.
