First came the tacos and, now, the tortada — after launching its new Cantina Crispy Chicken, Yum!Brands (YUM)-owned Taco Bell has been putting it in product after product.
This week, Taco Bell started testing the Cantina Crispy Chicken Tortada at select restaurants in Sacramento, Calif. A Tex-Mex spin on a chicken sandwich, it features the breaded crispy chicken meat in a grilled tortilla wrap alongside shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, shredded Cheddar cheese and jalapeño buttermilk sauce.
For reasons that were not elaborated on by the chain, the price can vary from restaurant to restaurant in the Sacramento area: either $4.29 or $4.99.
What Is Cantina Crispy Chicken (And Why Is It Everywhere?)
At the start of February, Taco Bell launched the Cantina Crispy Chicken in two tacos: the Cantina Crispy Chicken Taco With Avocado Ranch and the Cantina Crispy Chicken Taco with Chipotle for $2.29 a pop.
More commonly associated for its beef and bean products, Taco Bell had offered chicken in a few long-standing products like the Chicken Quesadilla, the Chicken Chipotle Melt and the Crispy Chicken Sandwich Taco. In December, the chain also announced that it would briefly bring back the discontinued chicken wings to its menu.
The new Cantina Crispy Chicken offering is, therefore, a more expansive attempt to enter the chicken space — after Popeye's chicken sandwich went viral and caused down-the-block lineups in 2019, many a brand has tried to tap into the fried chicken sandwich craze with their own versions.
What Else Is Taco Bell Doing?
In the last year, Taco Bell has tried adding, bringing back and testing a number of different products to its menu: from the tiny tacos to the Flamin’ Hot Cool Ranch Doritos Locos taco.
Along with trying to draw in audiences by switching up menu offerings, the fast food chain has also tried to drive more customers to order online through a new loyalty program and taco-per-day-for-$10-a-month pass — online orders, which have exploded during the pandemic, have been a priority for the fast-food industry.
"You've seen it in a number of other industries where the consumer does want to interact more and more online because it is easier and it is more personalized," Taco Bell's Chief Digital Officer Zipporah Allen told TheStreet in an exclusive interview this week. "But the way that I think about our digital experience and our restaurant experience is wanting to meet the customer where they are."
