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Raiders QB Fernando Mendoza next to Taco Bell
Fernando Mendoza has not even started an NFL game yet, but the No. 1 overall pick has already reached a milestone normally reserved for athletes who have been famous for 15 years: there is now a Taco Bell meal carrying his name. Even better, you can order it inside the NFL’s first Taco Bell Cantina at Allegiant Stadium.
The new location opened on the 100-level concourse near Section 140 and comes with 14 beverage taps, Raiders-themed cocktails, alcoholic Twisted Freezes, and a stadium-exclusive menu. FOX5 Las Vegas reports it is the first Taco Bell Cantina ever opened inside a professional football venue, because apparently regular stadium tacos were no longer sufficiently Las Vegas.
Fernando Mendoza Already Has His Own Taco Bell Order
The centerpiece is called the Manager Mendoza Special.
It comes with regular or large Nacho Fries and nacho cheese sauce, one Doritos Locos Taco, and five Crispy Chicken Strips, according to QSR Magazine.
Mendoza was the first overall pick in April after winning the Heisman Trophy and leading Indiana to a national championship, so the Raiders are understandably treating him like the future of the franchise even while Kirk Cousins opens the season as the starting quarterback.
Apparently “future of the franchise” now includes menu-development responsibilities.
Taco Bell refers to Mendoza as a “Franchise Player,” and the Cantina incorporates touches inspired by both him and Raiders fans. It also offers shareable Luxe Cravings Boxes built around items like burritos, tacos, chicken, and Nacho Fries.
So even if Mendoza spends the early portion of his rookie season holding a clipboard, his name is already a moving product downstairs.
Naturally, The Stadium Taco Bell Also Serves Alcohol
Because this is Las Vegas, simply putting Taco Bell inside the stadium was never going to be enough.
The Cantina has 14 taps and serves traditional cocktails, Raiders-themed drinks and alcoholic Twisted Freezes in flavors including Baja Blast, Margarita, and Blue Raspberry. The stadium’s food guide lists the Taco Bell Cantina Bar among Allegiant’s full collection of drinking spots.
There is something spiritually correct about drinking an alcoholic Baja Blast while watching an NFL game in Las Vegas.
The concept itself already had plenty of Vegas DNA. Diversified Restaurant Group also operates the Taco Bell Cantina on the Strip, which famously has a wedding chapel and has hosted more than 1,600 weddings.
Now Raiders games get their own version.
Allegiant Stadium has spent the past few years collecting major events, from Super Bowls to college football games and enormous concerts. It was also recently voted among the NFL’s best stadiums for food.
Its newest concession stand is essentially Taco Bell with a liquor license and a rookie quarterback’s combo meal.