Right When Most Needed, Taco Bell's Removing Menu Items
There was once a time when the Taco Bell menu was so varied and vast that you would have thought it was written by C.S. Lewis. Sure, Narnia might have featured a "Gryphon" with a body of a lion and the head of an eagle, but Taco Bell had a chalupa with a shell made out of french toast. Frankly, we think the French Toast Chalupa might be weirder. That's not to see these eldritch fusions of tacos and madness weren't delicious. They were delicious and then some, and I personally will forever be thankful to whichever Taco Scientists or boardroom spinner gave birth to the Mexican Pizza. (And don't get me started with the Mexican Pizza Crunchwrap.)
Sadly, the Mexican Pizza, along with plenty of other Taco Bell menu items are no more as Taco Bell has removed them in an effort to streamline their menu.
That's not to say this is a bad thing. Taco Bell has found that trimming their menus has resulted in faster service, a more environmentally friendly business, and an easier time on the staff. The Mexican Pizza's packaging, for example, "accounted for more than 7 million pounds of paperboard annually in the U.S." according to CNBC and accounted for thousands of employees cursing at the one cardboard corner they just couldn't crease right according to common experience.
Taco Bell will also be removing shredded chicken, marking the departure of the shredded chicken soft taco, the shredded chicken burrito, and the shredded chicken quesadilla melt, in addition to the Nachos Supreme, the Spicy Potato Soft Taco, the Cheesy Fiesta Potatoes, the Spicy Tostada and the 7-Layer Burrito, which all departed a few months ago.
Again, this news comes as a double-edged sword. (Or maybe the more appropriate metaphor is that it's spicy coming in but a bit too spicy coming out.) A streamlined menu will make Taco Bell a more enjoyable experience for everyone involved, but it also means that our menu favorites will no longer be there during a time in which we need comfort food the most. To make matters worse, other restaurants are likely to follow suit, and considering McDonald's has already experimented with a reduced menu, we think that reality will be sooner rather than later.
So farewell, Mexican Pizza and farewell other fast-food favorites. It was good and weird while it lasted.
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Top Image: Taco Bell
