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Diversified Restaurant Group (DRG), a QSR franchisee with more than 360 restaurants, added 33 new Taco Bell restaurants to its portfolio in 2023. The increase included acquisitions and the opening of eight new stores.
"Our unwavering commitment to innovation and our dedication to enhancing the customer and employee experience have been pivotal to our extraordinary growth," said S.G. Ellison, president and CEO of DRG.
The expansion into new markets remains a top priority for DRG. The company added 25 restaurants in the San Diego and Riverside Counties and ranked among the top 10 biggest Taco Bell franchisees in the U.S. based on restaurant count.
Notable openings in 2023 include DRG's eighth Taco Bell Cantina in San Jose, a state-of-the-art "ghost kitchen" equipped with food-delivery robots in San Francisco, and the first drive-thru-only mobile and delivery Taco Bell in Missouri.
DRG participated in a collaboration with Taco Bell that encourages 100% of dining room orders to be placed via kiosks. This initiative enhances convenience for both customers and employees. Additionally, DRG is investing in sustainable practices, including solar power and electric vehicle charging stations. Two stations are scheduled to open this year in Northern California, including an all-electric Taco Bell with a goal of a net-zero energy footprint.