S. Calif. Taco Bell stores offer cupcakes, juice barS. Calif. Taco Bell stores offer cupcakes, juice bar

Alan J. Liddle

IRVINE Calif. Taco Bell has no comment about blogger reports it is offering such snacks or treats as mini empanadas and Red Velvet cupcakes, and has a “Juice Bar” in one or more Southern California restaurants at which patrons reportedly can order smoothies, shake-like drinks and variations on Mexico’s fruit-based beverages known as agua frescas.

Wednesday’s blogger buzz about the new products at single Taco Bell restaurants in Buena Park and Tustin, Calif., came a day ahead of the systemwide debut Thursday of the 89-cent “Black Jack Taco.” That taco is made with a black, crunchy corn tortilla, seasoned ground beef, pepper Jack sauce, shredded lettuce and a combination of peppered Jack, cheddar and mozzarella cheeses. Its launch follows the earlier rollout of the red-shelled, hot-sauced Volcano Taco and in the aftermath of a third-quarter dip in same-store sales of 2 percent, according to recent statements by executives of Taco Bell parent Yum! Brands Inc. of Louisville. Ky.

The Irvine-based chain of about 1,330 company-operated Mexican fast-food restaurants and 4,260 franchised locations is promoting the Black Jack Taco at its website at www.tacobell.com. But officials declined to comment when asked details about new foods cited in a post at fastfoodmaven.com, a blog by Orange County Register staffer Nancy Luna.

Luna’s Oct. 7 post said residents around single restaurants in Buena Park and Tustin recently received fliers announcing new snacks and treats priced from 99 cents to $1.29. Among them: Crispy Mini Empanadas, Atomic Bacon Bombers, Warm Stuft Cookies, Dulce Dippers, Cheesy Churro Fries, Mini Churros and Jalapeno Cheesy Bread. She said her visit to the Taco Bell in the Tustin Market Place center in Tustin also revealed that the chain was offering vanilla and Red Velvet cupcakes and had built on one end of the front counter a dedicated juice bar.

The juice bar, Luna said, sells non-carbonated Frutista Aguas, strawberry-banana smoothies, and FrostBites, or shake-like beverages that come in Double Chocolate or Caramel Crunch flavors and are priced from $2.69 to $3.59.

The fastfoodmaven.com post about the new Taco Bell items, including photos, can be found at http://fastfood.freedomblogging.com/2009/10/07/taco-bell-testing-cupcakes-smoothies/35977/.

Posts at a variety of blog sites and chat pages in recent weeks said Taco Bell is also offering or is about to offer in selected restaurants shrimp tacos and an item called the “authentic” taco for which no details were available.

Contact Alan J. Liddle at [email protected]