Fast-food across all brands focuses on one thing and that’s efficiency. Being fast at producing their menu items is as important as product quality. While ordering food solely based on speed suits some, it doesn’t bode well for all. The food usually tastes ok, its ability to make a lot of it and quickly is still the key to business models.
The fast-food industry is able to add new items relatively easily as long as they are items that do not take long to prep and fit into their ‘system.’ McDonald’s (MCD) easily brought back its Pumpkin Spice Latte adding it for a limited time each year in the fall. It brings back the McRib temporarily as well.
Before making a permanent addition to the national or global menus of these fast-food giants, a test is more than a little needed. Rolling out an entire new menu item across hundreds and thousands of stores takes a great deal of work. Temporary adds to the menu can help drive traffic and increase ticket average, giving a little boost to the fast-food market when it needs it.
Taco Bell hasn’t been the top choice when it comes to morning coffee, as it ranks 10th according to Thrillist when it comes to the best fast-food coffees. Culvers was ranked first, Chick-Fil-a was ranked second and McDonalds was ranked third.
Thrillist purposefully left others out of the testing for best coffee and kept it strictly to fast-food places. Those left out would have drastically changed the results. Left out of the ranking completely were Dunkin, Starbucks, Caribou, Tim Hortons and 7-Eleven.
Taco Bell Brings New Flavors to Its Menu
Yum Brands’ (YUM) Taco Bell is working to improve its coffee menu for its customers and is testing new flavors in a couple of its markets. Currently, Taco Bell offers two Iced Coffee flavors made with its premium roast coffee, regular and Cinnabon Delights. Sticking with its roots Taco Bell is trying out three new flavors that are “Mexican-inspired.”
Brand Eating reported that Taco Bell is offering its Fresno, Calif., and Philadelphia customers a chance to try the new flavors Dulce de Leche, Mexican Chocolate Mocha, and Sweet Vanilla. The limited time drinks will have a price tag of $2.99 for a large.
The adding of a new coffee flavor isn’t that surprising, considering McDonalds brought back its fall flavored coffee as well as Starbucks bringing its fall lineup. It is surprising that Taco Bell did not jump on the pumpkin spice band wagon and went a different route.
While these flavors aren’t offered everywhere, the test markets will show whether or not consumers are going to want to change up their coffee orders and get their breakfast at Taco Bell over competitors.
Taco Bell Continues to Try New Things
Yum Brands, which also owns KFC, Pizza Hut and the Habit Burger Grill, make no mystery around the short-term offerings of some of the menu items. It's a core part of Yum's marketing strategy.
Taco Bell recently tested a Grilled Cheese Dipping Tacos in the Minneapolis and St. Paul and in Nashville, Tenn. The Grilled Cheese Dipping Tacos were available with seasoned beef and shredded beef. The Grilled Cheese Dipping Tacos were loaded with melted cheddar, mozzarella, and pepper jack cheese and came with a choice of red sauce or nacho cheese sauce for dipping.
Just as with the Grilled Cheese Dipping Tacos and now the new Ice-Coffee flavors, only time will tell if Taco Bell will decide to add them at more locations and further if these items and flavors will have more permanent spots on the fast-foods menu.
