Taco Bell has become a master of menu innovation, with a long rap sheet of new menu items that have made a giant splash on a national scale. Just consider the Doritos Locos Tacos, a perfect pairing of two products that became the brand’s most popular new menu item ever after it launched in 2012, quickly counting its number of units sold using 10 figures (that’s billions). Or then there are the Nacho Fries, which unseated the DLT upon arrival in 2018 and have established themselves as another beloved part of the regular Taco Bell menu.
Taco Bell takes big swing after big swing with its R&D, and while it may not be batting a thousand, it’s certainly positioned itself as an MVP in restaurant menu innovation. Indeed, not everything sticks around on the menu — and not everything makes it out of the testing phase — but the brand is prone to home runs at least once a year.
Here’s a look at six recent limited-time offers, with thoughts from director of product development Liz Matthews and director of global nutrition and sustainability Missy Schaaphok.