Taco Bell brings back potatoes and will test Beyond Meat’s menu item

Taco Bell wants to bring back its vegetarian customers.

The Yum Brands chain is reviving its popular potatoes and will test a menu item with a replacement Beyond Meat, after last year’s menu disappointed its meat-free customer base.

Taco Bell cut eight menu options in two rounds to simplify operations when the coronavirus pandemic caused long queues at its driving force. The exits of the cult-favorite Mexican Pizza and other items angered vegetarians, and they had fewer fast-food options to choose from, though the chain said there were still more than 30 meat-free ingredients available.

“We certainly knew we would hear from our fans about the things we removed, but we knew we had to do it to make sure our team members had the best experience,” said Liz Matthews, Taco Bell’s global staple food, said. innovation officer.

From March 11, customers can order the Spicy Potato Soft Taco and Cheesy Fiesta potatoes for the first time since their departure in September. The potato filling of the soft taco was popular among meat-free customers.

Matthews said the chain is planning new menu items using the potatoes. For those customers hoping to return items like the Nachos Supreme, the chain does not currently plan to return any other items.

In another appeal to vegetarian customers, Taco Bell plans to test an item with a vegetarian substitute Beyond Meat this year. For now, Taco Bell remains tight on how it will be used.

“I would say it’s going to be unique to the things you’ve seen elsewhere, so we’ll definitely use our Taco Bell innovation and turn to it,” Matthews said.

In 2019, when the vegetable meat trend was taking over, then-North America chief executive Julie Felss Masino told CNBC that the chain had met with Beyond and its rival Impossible Foods, but decided to stick with its own vegetarian options to keep. Masino is now president of Taco Bell International.

Taco Bell is a brand that we do not want to do what everyone else does, “Matthews said.” We want to do it in our own unique way. “

Yum is expected to present its results in the fourth quarter on February 4, which will include the impact of Taco Bell’s menus for the first time. In the third quarter of the burrito chain, sales growth from the same store reported 3%.

Shares of Yum have risen 7% over the past year, bringing the market value to more than $ 32 billion. Its U.S. restaurants, which include KFC and Pizza Hut, grew their sales in the same store again, but international locations remained under pressure in the third quarter.