Taco Bell tests $1 Cravings menu

Taco Bell is testing a new $1 Cravings menu in California that could represent a shift in the quick-service chain’s value offerings.

The quick-service chain is testing the menu in 55 restaurants in the Fresno, Calif., market, and in 37 units in Knoxville, Tenn., Taco Bell vice president of marketing Chris Brandt said Friday. The goal is to offer a value-positioned lineup of savory and sweet “craveable tastes” that consumers seek at Taco Bell.

The move follows a growing number of value-menu tweaks among various quick-service players. January is often a month when promotions focus on value, with customers cash-starved after the holiday shopping season, Brandt said.

Value and convenience are “the tenants of QSR,” Brandt said. Taco Bell is known for value, — “Ask any college student,” he said — but the new Cravings menu is an attempt to highlight the flavors guests crave from the chain.

With a mix of new and existing items on the current “Why Pay More?” value menu, the $1 Cravings menu puts dishes in specific categories.

For example, a new Beefy Cheesy Burrito appears under a “beefy” category. The “cheesy” category includes a Cheesy Roll-Up, a rolled-up version of a quesadilla; as well as a Cheesy Bean & Rice Burrito.

A Spicy Chicken Mini Quesadilla — a new item that Brandt called the hero of the lineup — appears in the “spicy” category, as well as a new Spicy Cheesy Roll-Up.

The chain’s existing Triple-Layer Nachos and Tostada are featured in the “crunchy” category, and its signature Caramel Apple Empanada and Cinnamon Twists appear under “sweet.”

A Cravings Combo portion of the menu offers various $1 Cravings menu items with the addition of a bag of Doritos and a medium drink for $2.49.