Taco Bell has no off season.
While its fast-food rivals slow down their new menu items during the summer months or limit them to season specific specials likes Wendy's (WEN) Summer Strawberry Salad, Taco Bell seems to bring out new ideas every few weeks.
That might be because the chain has based its business on having new menu items to surprise its customers. In many cases, these new innovations aren't all that different. Taco Bell might give you something very similar to an existing menu item but put it on a serving vessel based on a famous snack chip.
That's a strategy it pioneered with endless varieties of the Doritos Locos Taco and has recently continued with two products involving Cheez-Its. These offerings included a Tostada served on a giant Cheez-It and a Crunch Wrap with Cheez-Its mashed up inside.
The Yum! Brands (YUM) fast-food chain also has another go-to strategy -- putting something on its menu that you wouldn't expect from a Mexican chain. That has included its Nacho Fries and a brief week-long attempt to sell chicken wings.
Now, the chain has brought back a popular menu favorite that fits the second model.
Taco Bell
Taco Bell Favorite Makes a Menu Return
Taco Bell has a number of menu items that its cycles in and out for no reason other than to get people excited about their return (and maybe supply chains figure into it as well). One of those favorites is the chain's take on fried chicken, the Cantina Crispy Chicken Taco and that item -- in two separate varieties has been brought back, Chewboom first reported.
The two returning Taco Bell menu items are the:
- Cantina Crispy Chicken Taco with Chipotle: A flour tortilla filled with crispy chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, cheddar cheese, and creamy chipotle sauce.
- Cantina Crispy Chicken Taco with Avocado Ranch: A flour tortilla filled with crispy chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, cheddar cheese, and avocado ranch sauce.
Both use the chain's fried chicken, which was one of its two attempts to get in on the fried chicken sandwich craze. Taco Bell also offered the Naked Chicken Chalupa, essentially a taco where a piece of fried chicken served as the shell.
The Cantina Crispy Chicken Taco (in either variety) can be ordered as part of the $7.49 Cantina Crispy Chicken Deluxe Box. That's a choice between the two Cantina Crispy Chicken Tacos served with a Chalupa Supreme, a Beefy 5-Layer Burrito, chips with nacho cheese sauce, and a medium fountain beverage
Taco Bell Wants You to Forget the Mexican Pizza
Taco Bell recently brought back its beloved Mexican Pizza with the intent to have it be a permanent menu item. The chain grossly misjudged how huge the demand would be for the long-time favorite that was taken off the menu during the darkest days of the pandemic and supplies ran out quickly. That led to restaurants running out quickly, not being able to get more and Taco Bell having to take it off the menu (though the chain says it will be a permanent menu item once it comes back).
Since that debacle Taco Bell has released a number of new items, although some (like the Cheez-It items) were limited tests. By bringing back something that's well-liked and very familiar to customers, the chain may be able to put the Mexican Pizza mess in the rear view window and go back to delighting its customers.
