Depending on who you ask, Taco Bell’s strategy of releasing popular items only to bring them back after a few weeks is either awesome or annoying.
While it helps spark excitement around some limited-time promotions, fan frustration with the back and forth about Mexican pizza has peaked this summer.
yum! Trademarks (yes) Initially, it brought back Taco Bell-owned Taco Bell after more than 175,000 people launched a Change.org petition demanding it be returned, but after supplies were running low and ingredients ran out at many locations, they had to remove it again from the menu.
“That’s great! I hope you have enough supplies this time!” Twitter one (TWTR) The user wrote sarcastically on Taco Bell’s ad that Mexican pizza would be back for good this fall.
Many have taken to social media to express their doubts and discontent.
Who remembers Enchirito?
While brands often underestimate the popularity of a particular item and have to shift plans to stop amid pitchforks after the fact (see Choco Taco), more and more chains are recruiting fans into their menu operation to achieve great success.
This time around, Taco Bell is asking fans to vote on which of the two discontinued items should be brought back on the menu for a limited time later this year – Double Decker Taco or Enchirito.
Double Decker Taco was launched in 1995 but became a permanent item on the menu in 2006.
She appeared in a series of commercials with basketball star Shaquille O’Neal, and ran for 13 years before being discontinued in 2019. “Double-decker” refers to the crunchy tortilla layer and bean layer sandwiched between regular soft tortillas.
The Enchirito, in turn, is a play on the words referring to the fusion of burritos and enchiladasโa tender tortilla stuffed with beef and beans and topped with cheddar cheese and the traditional red enchiladas sauce.
It is a classic Taco Bell that has been around and discontinued since the 1970s but was permanently discontinued in 2013.
Enchirito has also been the subject of several Change.org petitions, but since it has had more time to fade into fast food traditions and memory, these are much smaller than what was seen with Mexican pizza.
Fans will dictate the list
“Following the love and passion we’ve seen for Mexican pizza, we wanted to continue raising the voices of our most loyal fans by giving them exclusive access to a unique digital experience that fosters love for the brand,” Taco Bell Brand Manager Sean Tresvant said in a statement.
To determine the fate of any of the items, one can log into the Taco Bell app and vote on which item they would prefer to return to between September 27 and October 7.
By conducting voting exclusively in the app, Taco Bell is one of many chains that are using exclusive offers and promotions to get more people to download and order their apps.
Once the votes are counted, the winning item will appear on the app and some Taco Bell locations on October 7.
Details on when or how long the winner will return have yet to be revealed, but it will make it to Taco Bell’s rosters before the end of 2022.
โNobody gets Taco Bell more than our community, so we’re excited to empower them with an in-app voting experience that allows them to make a direct impact on our menu,โ Tresvant said.
