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How Taco Bell made a viral moment lastHow Taco Bell made a viral moment last

The chain announced plans to add Mexican Pizza permanently to its menu after a TikTok campaign by rapper Doja Cat and a failed LTO

Holly Petre, Assistant Digital Editor

August 3, 2022

 

Welcome to First Bite, a Nation’s Restaurant News podcast, your daily source of news from NRN hosted by Holly Petre.

Today, we’re examining how Taco Bell took a viral moment and made it last.

Doja Cat made up a rap verse on TikTok that went viral asking Taco Bell to bring back the Mexican Pizza, which was pulled from menus in the great menu purge of 2020. They brought back Mexican Pizza and later called Doja Cat the “voice of the Taco Bell people.”

That was in May.

Two weeks later, Taco Bell was out of Mexican Pizza, blaming it on supply chain disruptions.

While the item was supposed to be an LTO, the offer was supposed to last six months, not two weeks. Fans were outraged. The Taco Bell musical, with music and lyrics by Dolly Parton and the team behind Bridgerton the Musical, never happened because of the shortage.

But on Monday, Taco Bell announced that the Mexican pizza would be back permanently starting September 15.

Here’s NRN senior editor Joanna Fantozzi with more on the story.

Plus, catch up on all the top news of the day with our daily news recap at the beginning of each episode.

Be sure to subscribe to First Bite wherever you get your podcasts or on CastosSpotify, or Apple Podcasts.

About the Author

Holly Petre

Assistant Digital Editor

Holly Petre is a digital editor for Nation’s Restaurant News as well as the host of NRN’s podcast, Extra Serving, and producer for Informa Restaurant and Food Group’s other three podcasts, One On One by Food Management, Off the Shelf with SN and In the Kitchen with Bret Thorn. Holly holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in Sculpture, fibers and Material Studies and Ceramics from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. A native New Yorker, Holly enjoys her place on staff as the resident pop-culture expert and millennial with a sassy attitude and great sense of style.

Holly Petre’s work on Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality often covers marketing and trends, either aimed-at or examined-through the millennial mindset. Holly is responsible for introducing TikTok and Twitch to NRN and RH readers as well as explaining terms like “Karen” to staff and readers alike. She also spends her time on staff trying not to make every headline a pun.

Holly Petre hasn’t spoken at any events or on panels, but she is readily available with a killer shoe wardrobe and several witty quips.

 

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