Taco Bell is eliminating 12 more items from its menu, including four items from its popular Cravings Value menu – a move made to streamline operations and clear the space for new items such as plant-based meals. However, while Taco Bell snoozes, other restaurants are proceeding rapidly.
The downsizing, which started August 13, comes less than a year after the Irvine, a California-based chain that had cut nine items from its menu last year to declutter it. What once started at 9 items eventually started an entire domino effect, which now brings us to 12 items missing from the menu.
“And while change is hard, a simplified menu and innovation process will leave room for new fan favorites, continued progress in categories such as plant-based diets, and even opportunities for the return of some classics on a limited time basis,” the company said in a statement.
While it is eliminating four value items, Taco Bell said it is permanently adding a $1 Beef Burrito to the Cravings menu. The company also brought back the $5 Grande Nachos Box for a limited time. Besides these new additions and bitter farewells, there is always a possibility of some of these beloved meals returning.
“The decisions were made about specific menu items after months of analyzing the new way we are running our restaurants and strategically weighing a variety of factors, from cost to speed,” the company said in a statement. “Now that the majority of our business is via drive-thru, we need to deliver on the speed of service for our customers.”
Although this may not seem relevant anymore, Taco Bell’s actions have been influencing other titans of the fast food industry. McDonalds also removed numerous items from its menu and we don’t know if they will ever come back. Both companies said that they will continue to innovate and bring new items to the menu; however, the decision to remove these items was made to streamline operations and improve customer and team member experiences.
Burger King just recently released that they have a new idea for how it will serve food. Think of a completely touchless ordering experience for germ-fearing diners, headlined by a walk-up window for orders and three drive-thrus (one for delivery drivers and picking up mobile orders for customers).
One of the two touchless ordering prototype restaurants introduced by Burger King has no indoor dining. Instead, you can either grab your burger and fries at the window or go through the drive-thru and park the car under a canopy (similar to Sonic). Both options keep a person removed from crowds where who knows what type of germs live.
A lot is changing in the food service industry, especially in light of recent life-changing events. Yet, much of what is being changed — or more so taken away — there is a possible future of a new adaptation in fast food.
