• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, October 14, 2024

Doritos thinks consumers are ready to take their taste and flavor cravings to the next level, introducing a Los Angeles Crypto.com Arena restaurant. Called Doritos After Dark, it offers a menu of spicy appetizers, entrees, and sweet desserts. And everything comes with the familiar crunch of Doritos chips.

The restaurant is only available to ticketholders during regularly scheduled events at the Crypto.com Arena, home to the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Sparks and Los Angeles Kings. But the company is also planning an immersive pop-up on Nov. 15, serving Doritos After Dark bites in a free, neon-filled atmosphere at Peacock Place, which is adjacent to the arena at L.A. LIVE.

That event coincides with a Sabrina Carpenter concert.

"Taking cues from our consumers, we are enabling people to experience their favorite brands from Frito-Lay in delicious new ways," said Carolyn Braff, vice president of culinary marketing at Frito-Lay, in the company’s announcement. "The globally inspired flavors of the Doritos After Dark menu will invite late-night food fans to see the creative and surprising ways Doritos can enhance their favorite meals and cocktails."

While the restaurant opening is a first for Doritos, the brand has been tinkering with the Doritos After Dark concept since 2022, when it began offering experiential late-night bites via pop-up ghost kitchens in New York and Los Angeles. In 2023, Doritos After Dark made an appearance at SXSW, with DJs and an event afterparty.

Doritos After Dark is serving up cocktail orders like the Doritos Flamin' Hot Limón Late Night Rita, such entrée options as the Spicy Sweet Chili Ramen-Rito, blending ramen, burritos and Doritos, and Flamin' Hot Nacho Veggie Dumplings. For dessert, fans can try a Nacho Cheese Crunchtastic Vanilla Cone. A dedicated website offers recipes for those who want to try out recipes at home.

CPG brands are increasingly looking to experiential eating activations to find new fans, surprise old ones and capitalize on flavor trends. Hellmann’s Mayonnaise, owned by Unilever, recently opened a pop-up French fry café in New York’s SoHo, meant to inspire French fry dipping. Last summer, Cheez-It (owned by Kellanova) opened a limited-run roadside restaurant in Woodstock, New York.