Taco Bell opens early retirement community for those aspiring to let out their ‘inner eclectic grandparent’ — why some young people are in a rush to retire
“¡Yo quiero Taco Bell!” may not be the slogan that you imagined would mark your retirement. But it may become the motto for the next generation of retirees.
Taco Bell has created its own early retirement community, The Cantinas. The Tex-Mex chain restaurant has decided to host a weekend-long experience for those over 21 to “live like a retiree,” according to The Cantinas’s website.
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“Come Live Más at the ultimate playground for your inner eclectic grandparent,” boasts the website of its mid-August event.
Activities at the San Diego venue include “retiree-inspired recreation,” such as bocce ball, knitting and pickleball. Guests can choose to stay overnight for $150 in the “retiree lodging,” or drop in for the day for $50.
Got your interest? Don’t pull out your credit card just yet: Tickets for the event have already sold out. Taco Bell’s early retirement pitch has clearly hit a nerve with the younger generation.
Soft life aspirations
Actual retirees often struggle to spend all their free time. In fact, 68% of people plan to work in their retirement for pleasure, according to Fidelity’s 2024 State of Retirement report.
But young people feel quite differently about retirement. In fact, 66% of Gen Z don’t think they’ll ever have enough money to retire, according to a 2023 survey from fintech company Intuit. They’ve already experienced a tough job market and stagnated wages, making it difficult to start putting money into a 401(k).
Instead of working hard so they can retire comfortably later, young people prefer the “soft life,” where they prioritize their immediate happiness over future planning.
Corporate lawyer and TikToker Tay Ladd is one of the young people who traded in hustle culture for soft living.
“I want to romanticize these things that are important to me because for so many years, I was not taking care of myself,” she told Moneywise in 2023. “I was neglecting my mental health and my well-being.”
A place like The Cantinas perfectly encapsulates the soft living philosophy. Many young people crave a weekend packed with gentle activities like knitting and napping.
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Inspired by boomers
The Cantinas may be a great marketing gimmick for Taco Bell, but when it comes to the philosophy of Live Más, no one does it better than the retirees who inspired the Tex-Mex chain.
Older people have been dominating the leisure market lately. Those 65 and older made up 22% of national spending in 2022, according to the Labor Department’s most recent survey of consumer expenditures.
“These are the consumers that will matter over the coming year,” Susan Sterne, chief economist at Economic Analysis Associates, told the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) in 2023. “Our large share of older consumers provides a consumption base in times like today when job growth slows, interest rates rise and student debt loan repayments begin again.”
An example of this is at a real retirement community called Sun City Texas, nearby Austin. recent WSJ feature says it contains even more amenities than The Cantinas: multiple pools, pickleball courts and fitness centers. The residents are even known to cause quite a ruckus at their annual Mardi Gras Party.
“We’re not dead yet,” Sun City Texas resident Suzanne Herndon, 70, told the WSJ.
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This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
