Fans of Taco Bell’s Doritos Locos Tacos line won’t have to wait until Thursday for the debut of the Cool Ranch flavor of the taco shell.
After months of building anticipation for the new Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Tacos, which are scheduled to debut nationwide on Thursday, Taco Bell said Tuesday that the new product will be available a day early for social media fans.
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The news was posted on Taco Bell’s Facebook page and quickly made the jump to Twitter.
“This will be the biggest product launch in our history, and for months we have been listening to the enthusiasm of Cool Ranch Doritos fans who can’t wait to be the first to try the Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Tacos,” said Rob Poetsch, a spokesman for Taco Bell.
To thank those customers for their support, he said, “We are rewarding our social media fans to a special ‘Fan Day’ in which they can visit their local Taco Bell and buy a Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Taco the day before it officially launches on March 7. All they have to do is ask.”
Taco Bell for weeks has been building anticipation for the new taco shell flavor with social media efforts such as the “Speakeasy: L.A.” video in which a fan is invited to a parking lot and told to ask the parking valet for “the blue one.” A rusty old blue van is pushed up, and inside are Cool Ranch tacos for him to taste, along with a young woman playing the harp.
Cool Ranch is the second flavor in the popular Doritos Locos Taco line, which was launched last year with Nacho Cheese flavor — the chain’s most successful product launch to date.
Taco Bell has sold more than 350 million Nacho Cheese tacos since the launch a year ago, and the tacos are credited with raising same-store sales 8 percent for the year at the 5,600-unit chain.
Next up is a Flamas Doritos Locos Taco with a chile-lime twist. The Flamas-flavored taco shells are scheduled to debut later this year.
Contact Lisa Jennings at lisa.jennings@penton.com.
Follow her on Twitter: @livetodineout