Taco Bell changes its menu more than any other fast-food chain. The Yum Brands (YUM) company has also been very clever with how it adds new items and brings back classics from the past.
That doesn't always go well. The Mexican Pizza return, for example, was either a massively successful publicity stunt or a huge debacle (the truth is probably somewhere in the middle). But, that's an exception as Taco Bell generally understands how to manipulate its menu to get the most attention from customers and the media.
In recent years that has involved everything from offering chicken wings for a single week to endlessly swapping out an ingredient or two to create something new. Taco Bell has a very versatile menu which allows the chain to bring in a new sauce or a new type of cheese and use it to offer a bunch of "new" things.
The chain has also done a brilliant job in adding a very non-traditional item for a Mexican chain, french fries, to its menu with its Nacho Fries. Essentially, Taco Bell added nacho cheese sauce and spices to a fast-food classic somehow making it feel like a natural fit for its menu.
Now, Taco Bell has done something even smarter which has led to it putting an old favorite back on its menu.
Taco Bell
Taco Bell Welcomes Back the Enchirito
Earlier this year, Taco Bell let its Rewards members vote on whether it should bring back the Enchirito or the Double Decker Taco back. The results were actually decisively in favor of the the Enchirito,.
"What started off as a race too close to call, the saucy Enchirito eventually beat out its competitor winning 62% of votes. Taco Bell Rewards members brought the heat with over 760K votes from the time polls opened on September 27 to when they closed on October 6, 2022," Chewboom.com reported.
The Enchirito has been around for around 50 years and it will return for a limited time starting Nov. 17.
"The Enchirito has an even longer love story going back to 1970 before its departure in 2013 and was one of the first bold innovations that demonstrated Taco Bell's drive for Mexican-inspired fusion. The Enchirito is made up of a soft flour tortilla, loaded with seasoned beef, beans, and diced onions all rolled up and smothered with its classic red sauce before being topped with melted shredded cheddar cheese," the chain shared in a press release.
Taco Bell Keeps Customers Engaged
Limited-time-offers (LTOs) accomplish two things. They get existing customers to spend more money than they might otherwise and they bring back lapsed customers who may not have visited for a while.
In this case, Taco Bell managed to get two rounds of publicity for one promotion. Over 750,000 people voted during that part of the promotion which engaged those members and likely caused some people to register. Now, the chain will benefit from that awareness as people come back to actually try the Enchirito for the first time in nearly a decade.
Taco Bell makes it so occasional visitors always see something new on the menu and they mix things up often enough to keep regular visitors excited and engaged, The Enchirito does not seem particularly different from the rest of its menu, but it's something new that also has the benefit of being something familiar to long-time customers.
