If Yum Brands (YUM) Taco Bell has any one secret to its success over the years, it's that the brand fully embraces constant change.
While that change may be as simple as combining a few ingredients already on its menu into some new item (another trick that the Bell relies on heavily), it can also be as big as introducing some item that has never been served at its locations, like Nacho Fries or piling tostada ingredients atop a giant Cheez-It.
As usual, the brand has a line of new innovations its working on, as well as something very mysterious it's teasing via its Twitter. The latter looks very metaversy, which seems interesting to exactly no one when fast food companies do it -- Chipotle (CMG), McDonald's (MCD), and Wendy's (WEN) have all introduced a metaverse presence, only to be met with a few stray claps and the sound of chirping crickets.
Anyway, let's move on to the one thing every Taco Bell fan truly cares about: the food.
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What's New At Taco Bell?
If you're one of those people who gets a shiver of delight at the thought of biting into a Crunchwrap, you'll be happy to know that Taco Bell is testing a brand new menu item with a very similar-sounding name.
Called the Grilled Lunchwrap, this is a "healthier" (by Taco Bell standards, anyway) option that omits the hard tortilla shell and opts for grilled chicken or steak as a protein, according to Chewboom.
The three versions of this item are the Chicken Bacon Club Grilled Lunchwrap, the Steak Chipotle Ranch Grilled Lunchwrap, and the Southwest Grilled Lunchwrap.
The Chicken Bacon Club version tops the grilled chicken with avocado ranch and creamy chipotle sauce, guacamole, bacon, shredded cheese, and tomatoes, while the Steak Chipotle version swaps chicken for steak and adds chipotle sauce. The Southwest Grilled option can be ordered with chicken or steak and has a new Southwest Ranch sauce.
These are currently being tested in the Atlanta, Georgia area, so it likely won't come to major markets unless it performs well in its test run first.
Taco Bell also has another item under testing, this one in Columbus, Ohio. This one is a lot less fancy than the Grilled Lunchwraps, but it is perfect if you're a fan of the Cravings Value Menu or just want to save a few bucks.
A simple take on nachos, this item is just tortilla chips topped with refried beans, nacho cheese sauce, tomatoes, fiesta chips, a three-cheese blend, and reduced fat sour cream. There will also be a spicy version that adds jalapenos and chipotle sauce.
These will be $2 and can be purchased a la carte or as part of a combo. Much like the Grilled Lunchwrap, however, they probably won't stick around unless people really respond positively to them, so if you happen to be in the Columbus area and these sound amazing to you, it may be worth a trip to the drive-thru sooner rather than later.
