Taco Bell likes media and social media attention.
That’s why the chain always seems to be tinkering with its menu and why it has never limited its offerings to what would be considered traditional Mexican (or at least traditional American take on Mexican).
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The Yum Brands (YUM) chain has gone outside those parameters by offering its own take on french fries and chicken nuggets. Those offerings not only get Taco Bell media attention and social media shares, it brings the brand more customers.
Kids (and even adults) who have a limited palette and don’t eat tacos, burritos, and other Mexican food might eat Taco Bell’s Nacho Fries a chicken nuggets. That might help the chain steal some business from McDonald’s and the other burger chains.
It also could serve as an entryway to Taco Bell’s cuisine for people who have never tried it.
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Taco Bell’s latest offering, however, takes that logic a little further. It’s not just venturing outside of its lane, it’s adding a menu item that copies a recent McDonald’s addition that the chain plans to use to bring back a fan favorite.
Now, Taco Bell is offering a similar product that might beat McDonald’s at its own game.
Taco Bell’s Chicken nuggets are not exactly traditional Mexican fare.
Image source: Taco Bell
Taco Bell adds crispy chicken strips
McDonald’s brought back its McCrispy Chicken Strips earlier this summer. That was a prelude to its bringing back its popular Snack Wraps.
The chain dropped the Snack Wrap line in 2016 because its sales did not justify the added effort it took in its kitchens to make the product. Franchisees actually pushed for the menu item to be eliminated but customers have clamored for its return since it was dropped.
A snack wrap is essentially a basic take on taco using a crispy chicken strip.
Now, Taco Bell has brought out its own crispy chicken strips and it’s using them in a variety of dishes.
“After the breakout success of Crispy Chicken Nuggets, the next move was obvious: take the craveable, tortilla-coated crunch fans loved and pack it into the formats that made Taco Bell famous — tacos and burritos,” the chain shared in a press release.
The new menu items include:
Crispy Chicken Taco ($2.79): A harmonious combination of one perfectly crisped Crispy Chicken Strip layered with purple cabbage, crisp lettuce, pico de gallo and shredded cheddar cheese with the choice of the all-new Spicy Ranchero Sauce or Avocado Ranch Sauce.Crispy Chicken Burrito ($5.49)*: A full-sized burrito that won’t leave fans hungry for more featuring two Crispy Chicken Strips surrounded by a bed of purple cabbage, crisp lettuce, pico de gallo, cheddar cheese with the choice of the all-new Spicy Ranchero Sauce or Avocado Ranch Sauce.Crispy Chicken Strips (2 for $3.99)*: The fan-favorite formula from Crispy Chicken Nuggets is back and bigger than ever. Each Crispy Chicken Strip is specifically designed for extra crispy and crunchy goodness.Spicy Ranchero Sauce: The new Spicy Ranchero is a creamy sauce made with Anaheim and jalapeño chiles, tomatoes, garlic, and onion, offering a hint of spice that’s perfect for dunking or drizzling.Avocado Ranch Sauce: Enjoy your crispy chicken with the classic Avocado Ranch Sauce, a creamy and zesty ranch with a hint of avocado.
Prices, of course, may vary by market.
Taco Bell has been growing
Yum Brands calls Taco Bell one of its “twin growth engines” along with KFC International. Yum Brands CEO David Gibbs shared some news about the chain during his company’s first-quarter earnings call.
“First, Taco Bell U.S. delivered a staggering 9% increase in same-store sales, an impressive achievement, especially against the backdrop of soft industry trends. Notably, this quarter, Taco Bell saw a significant expansion in consumer penetration, reflecting our efforts to elevate our positioning and broaden our relevance, which helped us to grow traffic low-single digits,” he said.
He believes that an increased investment in technology has been key to that growth.
“Taco Bell’s digital momentum is also accelerating. Byte by Yum! has reduced system limitations, empowering Taco Bell’s world class advertising team to push creative boundaries. One area in marketing with enormous potential is the expansion of AI driven decisioning to enable personalized experiences for consumers,” he added.
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Gibbs shared an example of that:
“We are testing the use of these tools to enable us to deliver one-to-one communication to our consumers. Recall at the Taco Bell Consumer Day, the team shared that they expect to generate over $225,000 in additional per store sales by 2030 or an approximate 10% increase to AUVs through expanded digital channels and loyalty membership,” he said.
