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Taco Bell rebrands dollar menu as Cravings Value MenuTaco Bell rebrands dollar menu as Cravings Value Menu

The broader menu features 20 items priced at $1-$5

Nancy Luna, Senior editor, Nation's Restaurant News

December 13, 2018

2 Min Read
Taco Bell
Taco Bell

Taco Bell is scrapping its dollar menu and introducing a new Cravings Value Menu, a broader menu featuring more than 20 fan-favorite foods ranging in price from $1 to $5.

The rebrand of the dollar menu, the second value menu tweak over the course of a year by the chain, debuts Dec. 27. The Irvine, Calif.-based quick-service chain said the Cravings Value Menu will be divided into four categories: Tacos & Burritos, Specialties, Sweets and $5 Boxes.

taco-bell-cravings-menu.pngThe format change was done “to give fans a variety of the flavors they love, in a more central, uniform format,” Taco Bell said.

Dollar favorites under the Tacos & Burritos segment, for example, include the spicy potato soft taco, the cheesy bean & rice burrito and the beefy Fritos burrito. Specialties include the cheesy roll-up, the spicy tostada, the shredded chicken mini quesadilla and the beefy mini quesadilla.

To celebrate the value menu revamp, Taco Bell is introducing two $1 Grande Burritos in late December. The LTOs, which were tested in Birmingham, Al., last year, include a 6-ounce three-cheese nacho burrito and a 7-ounce chicken enchilada burrito.

The enchilada burrito is stuffed with rice, shredded chicken, red sauce, reduced fat sour cream and cheddar cheese. The three-cheese nacho burrito contains seasoned beef, reduced-fat sour cream, red tortilla strips, nacho cheese sauce and a three-cheese blend.

taco-bell-grande-burritos_1.png

Grande Burritos

This is the second value menu tweak in less than a year for Taco Bell.

Last December, the chain announced plans to add at least 20 more items to the three-year-old value menu over the course of 2018. One of its biggest $1 LTOs was Nacho Fries, which became the chain’s bestselling new product.

Taco Bell said it will continue to add new menu items to the revamped value menu throughout 2019.

Last week, during an Investor Day conference in New York, Taco Bell co-president Julie Felss Masino said 2019 would be a “big year” for both value and innovations at Taco Bell.

In 2018, quick-service brands such as Pizza Hut, Dairy Queen, McDonald’s and Burger King have relied on value menus and bundled meal deals to rejuvenate sluggish foot traffic. 

In January, McDonald’s introduced a $1 $2 $3 Dollar Menu. In the summer, the Chicago-based burger chain also launched a 2 for $5 combo deal.

Earlier this year, Lake Forest, Calif.-based Del Taco added a Buck & Change menu.  The menu allowed the brand to promote value items that are just beyond $1, but do not fit under the Buck & Under menu.

Contact Nancy Luna at [email protected]

Follow her on Twitter: @fastfoodmaven

About the Author

Nancy Luna

Senior editor, Nation's Restaurant News

Nancy Luna is a senior editor at Nation's Restaurant News and a contributing editor at Supermarket News. She covers the industry's largest and most talked about fast-food brands including McDonald's, Starbucks, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC and Subway. She is an award-winning journalist with more than 25 years reporting experience. As a veteran business reporter based in Southern California, Nancy has covered some of the country's most beloved food and retail brands including In-N-Out, Taco Bell, Trader Joe's, Aldi, Whole Foods Market, Target and Costco. Luna is a graduate of Cal State Fullerton. When she's not digging for news on her beat, you can find Nancy regaling her fans about her latest dining adventures on her Fast Food Maven social media channels. Contact [email protected]  or follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/fastfoodmaven

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