A month after winning the right to "liberate" the phrase "Taco Tuesday" when competitor Taco John dropped a lawsuit to protect its trademark stronghold on the term, Yum! Brands (YUM) -)-owned chain Taco Bell is leaning into the newfound ability to market with it.
On Aug. 22, the chain is giving away free Doritos Locos Tacos nationwide as part of its first official Taco Tuesday promotion.
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Today's promotion is the second in a month of free tacos given out at Taco Bell locations across the country. To claim their own, fans can either simply walk into a Taco Bell store and ask for one (the best part is that one does not have to buy anything else to receive it) or add the 02TACOTUESDAY code to their app or web order.
Image source: Taco Bell
Here is how you can get your free taco today (and for the rest of the month)
"Get a free Doritos Locos Taco on Taco Bell (no purchase necessary) to celebrate the sweet, sweet liberation of Taco Tuesday," the chain says in its promotional materials. "Offer available on TacoBell.com, in-stores and on the Taco Bell app for in-store pickup or delivery."
Along with a past Taco Tuesday on Aug. 15, the promotion will also take place on Aug. 29 and Sept. 5. Those placing online orders will need to use the 03TACOTUESDAY and 04TACOTUESDAY codes on each of those days.
First launched in 2012, the Doritos Locos Tacos is part of a partnership with the Pepsico (PEP) -)-owned nacho chip brand. The taco shell seasoned with the same stuff as what goes atop the Nacho Doritos chips became an instant favorite but was on and off the Taco Bell menu over the years.
It has also appeared as a Fiery and Cool Ranch version — the latter has been subject to multiple petitions to bring it back but ultimately lost out to the Beefy Crunch Burrito when the chain asked fans to vote on which of two nostalgic items it should bring back for a new run.
'When tacos win, we all win'
The latest Doritos Locos Tacos promotion is a slight dig at the Wyoming-based Taco John's. Taco Bell's Chief Marketing Officer Taylor Montgomery released a statement saying that "when tacos win, we all win."
"We all win when Taco John's decides to release its trademark registration, we all win when taco vendors everywhere are free to join the movement, and we all win when taco fans can freely celebrate and support Taco Tuesdays at Taco Bell or anywhere else," Montgomery continued.
The Doritos Locos Tacos further leans into the fan-favorite factor as the item remains one of the most best-selling items Taco Bell has ever launched. It has also helped spawn years of partnerships between fast food and snack companies such as Restaurants Brands International's (QSR) -) Mac-N-Cheetos and Krispy Kreme's (DNUT) -) Cinnamon Toast Crunch-flavored donuts.
Taco Bell additionally promised to make the Tuesday after the last day of the promotion an even more "epic Taco Tuesday celebration" in partnership with food delivery company Doordash (DASH) -). While more details of what it will look like are supposed to come later, Taco Bell has committed to picking up a "$5 million taco tab to cover a portion of taco fans' order."
