Taco Bell changed the fast food game when it introduced the Doritos Locos Taco in 2012. While that idea seems obvious now, it was revolutionary at the time, and nobody knew that it would go on to become one of the most successful fast-food items of all time.
The collaboration between the Yum Brands (YUM) chain and the PepsiCo-owned snack chip brand opened the door to other similar partnerships.
Taco Bell has released countless spin-offs of the original Doritos Locos Taco. Rival Burger King offered Mac n' Cheetos in 2016, and countless other collaborations have been launched based on the success of the original Doritos Locos Taco.
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Most of these copycat ideas have been failures because it's hard to match the perfect partnership between Doritos and Taco Bell. The two companies have leveraged their partnership in every way possible, but that has not stopped Taco Bell from launching partnerships with other brands.
The chain has a longstanding relationship with Mountain Dew, another PepsiCo (PEP) product which has led to a number of drinks and frozen beverages. Taco Bell also has a relationship with Cinnabon, and the chain seems open to working with companies that can help it expand its menu in surprising ways.
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Taco Bell offers a giant snack chip
Taco Bell changes its menu more than any other fast-food chain. It seems like it adds new items on a weekly basis, and the chain has not been afraid to take risks.
Currently, Taco Bell has been promoting its new Cantina Chicken Menu, but it has big plans for what will follow that.
"The Taco Bell x Cheez-It collab is going nationwide this year and it might be coming sooner than you think! If you were around in 2022, you might remember that Taco Bell was testing out two items that included a massive Cheez-It: a Big Cheez-It Tostado and a Big Cheez-It Supreme," the Snackolator Instagram page reported.
At the time of the test, the new menu items, which featured a giant Cheez-It, were a viral sensation, and it was expected that a nationwide rollout would follow. That did not happen, but the chain appears ready to correct that mistake,
"At the Live Mas Live event, it was confirmed that the @tacobell x @cheezit collab would happen this year and at the time I heard summer was the target...so you should be seeing this in the next few months. Not only can you get a Big Cheez-It Supreme or Tostada, but you can buy just the ginormous Cheez-It by itself which is SIXTEEN times the size of a normal one," Snackolator added.
Taco Bell drives Yum Brands
Taco Bell has been a huge driver for its parent company. That's something CEO David Gibbs talked about during Yum Brands' first-quarter earnings call.
"Moving on to the Taco Bell division, which represents 35% of our divisional operating profit and 75% of our U.S. divisional operating profit. System sales at Taco Bell U.S. grew 4%, led by 2% same-store sales growth and a strong outcome on top of last year's 9% same-store sales growth," he said.
He shared how the brand has been driving sales.
"Taco Bell focused on key levers within its magic formula to drive growth, including building brand buzz, providing value to our consumers, and expanding into new category entry points," Gibbs added.
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The CEO made it clear that menu innovation remains a key part of the formula.
"Early in the quarter, the team launched a new cravings value menu and ended the quarter with a successful launch of the Chicken Cantina menu. The Cravings value menu features industry-leading value with 10 items priced under dollars providing consumers with craveable everyday value offering. Nearly one-third of transactions contain an item off the cravings value menu and, when purchased, 80% have at least one other item added, translating to a nearly 10% check uplift compared to non-cravings value menu checks," he shared.
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