Everyone knows that Taco Bell is always tweaking menus by adding and removing items frequently and Liz Matthews, global chief food innovation officer for the chain says eight big changes are coming during the 2024 year. Here are the details of what you can expect.
- Scores of new menu items – the company says that there will be twice the number of new menu items in 2024 compared to 2023. Nacho Fries, one of the chain’s most popular limited-edition offerings, will be on menus for a longer amount of time this year and there’s a possibility that they will become a permanent item. A preview of new items was unveiled at a Live Más Event in Las Vegas on Feb. 9 with Crispy Chicken Nuggets, Cheesy Street Chalupas, Dulce de Leche Cinnabon Delights, Cantina Chicken Manu, and MTN DEW Baja Blast Gelato on the way this year. Matthews also said that new fusions and textures will also be coming.
- More lunch-friendly options – the new Cantina Chicken Menu debuts on March 21 and includes five options that are lunch-friendly – the Cantina Chicken Burrito, Cantina Chicken Soft Taco, Cantina Chicken Crispy Taco, Cantina Chicken Quesadilla, and Cantina Chicken Bowl. All of these are made with a new oven-roasted, shredded, and seasoned chicken with Mexican spices and other new ingredients including purple cabbage, pico de gallo, an Avocado Verde Salas packet, and a white corn taco shell.
- More brand partnerships – Taco Bell announced more brand partnerships at the Live Más event that include a Cheez-It Crunchwrap, Tajín menu, a new cold brew latte with Beekeeper Coffee and a Serrabanero Sauce from Secret Aardvark. They also joined up with Salt & Straw, a Portland-based ice cream chain to develop a new Ice Cream Chocolate Taco. None of these items have shown up on menus as of yet, but look for them later this year.
- More Taco Bell restaurant openings – Taco Bell currently has more than 7,200 US locations and looks to expand to 10,000 “in the coming years.” There’s no official word on how many new locations will be opened in 2024, as local media will be detailing all-new locations.
- Sauce packet redesign – Taco Bell sauce packets will get a new look in 2024 with a simpler design than the current patterned one. There will also be brand-new sayings that include “Keep the same energy” on new Fire Sauce packets. There will be a new Disha hot sauce packet later this year which features a collaboration with Mexican-American singer-songwriter Omar Apollo.
- Focus on value – Chief Marketing Officer Taylor Montgomery said “Value has always been at the cornerstone of what we offer at Taco Bell and we’re committed to expanding on our value offerings through new menu items and digital offerings that deliver quality and abundance.” A new revamped Cravings Menu was introduced on Jan.11 that features 10 items priced at $3 or less with new items Chicken Enchilada Burrito and Loaded Beef Nachos and a Veggie Build-Your-Own Cravings Box was introduced for a price of $5.99.
- Goodbye to some old favorites – Some of the discontinued items for this year include the Chipotle Ranch Grilled Chicken Burrito, Beefy Melt Burrito, Fiesta Veggie Burrito, Chicken Chipotle Melt and $5 Classic Combo. There was some pushback from fans for this, especially with the Chipotle Ranch Grilled Chicken Burrito being pulled with one Redditor commenting “I just need to mourn for a minute” upon hearing the news.
- Collaborations with emerging chefs – Taco Bell unveiled a brand-new program called TBX at the Live Más event that brings together emerging talented chefs to have input with new menu items. Already signed on are Jennifer Hwa Dobbertin of San Antonio’s Best Quality Daughter, Reuben Asaram, owner of Reuby in Philadelphia, and Lawrence Smith, owner of Chitle in Phoenix. All three chefs will have a chance to co-create their spin on the classic Crunchwrap Supreme and their versions will show up at select Taco Bell locations sometime in 2024. Matthews said “I do think they have such different perspectives and they’re all great chefs, so I think we’re going to see some good stuff come of it.”
Source: EatThis,NotThat!