What Makes Minnesota’s New Taco Bell ‘Kitchen X’ Design Different?

Border Foods, the New Hope-based company that ranks among the nation's largest franchisees, now operates more than 100 Taco Bell restaurants across Minnesota, a milestone the company hit when its 100th location opened in Ramsey.

Recently, another one joined the lineup — but this Taco Bell is not like the others, and because of that fact, its grand opening was very well attended.

The new restaurant opened on August 10, 2026, in the Carver Commons development just off Highway 212 in Carver, and hundreds of people turned out for the grand opening. A few eager customers even camped out the night before.

What drew the crowd is the design. The Carver location is the first in Minnesota built in Taco Bell's newest style, called Kitchen X.

It replaces the "Endeavor" look the chain had used on every new build since 2019, and Taco Bell corporate hand-picked Border Foods to be the first test for the format before a wider approval.

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What Makes Taco Bell's Kitchen X Design Different?

Kitchen X flips the traditional fast-food floor plan. Instead of hiding the kitchen in the back, the new layout puts it on display.

Here's what sets it apart, according to reports on the design:

• A dining room that runs the full length of the building
• Roughly twice as many windows as older stores
• An open kitchen customers can watch through a glass partition
• Self-service ordering kiosks
• A streamlined layout built for faster order pick-up
• 24-hour lobby access
• Solar panels over the drive-thru in suitable locations, plus a broader focus on energy conservation

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The result, the company says, feels less like a drive-thru pit stop and more like fast-casual dining — the kind of space that invites you to actually sit down and stay a while.

How Many Are Open, And Where's Next?

For now, Carver is the only Kitchen X restaurant open in the state. Two more are on the way: Border Foods has Kitchen X builds planned for Rochester and Lakeville, both cities that already have older-style Taco Bells.

Construction is expected to begin in spring 2026, with openings following in late 2026 or early 2027. It's a notable moment for a Minnesota company shaping the next generation of Taco Bell nationwide.

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