Potato dishes among those on the chopping block as part of Taco Bell’s menu streamlining efforts. | Photos: Taco Bell
The fast-food chain is axing multiple fan favorites as part of a menu overhaul in August
It’s official: Taco Bell is axing all its potato dishes, among other offerings, in a big menu revamp scheduled for August 13.
This impending menu overhaul, which has been circulating in the form of panicked rumors over the past week, was confirmed in a new release on Taco Bell’s website today. Per the post, here are the dishes that are being put out to pasture next month:
- Grilled Steak Soft Taco
- 7-Layer Burrito
- Nachos Supreme
- Beefy Fritos Burrito
- Spicy Tostada
- Triple Layer Nachos
- Spicy Potato Soft Taco
- Cheesy Fiesta Potatoes
- Loaded Grillers (including Cheesy Potato and Beefy Nacho)
- Chips & Dips
- Mini Skillet Bowl
- Quesarito (this will be taken off the menu in restaurants, but still available via web or app order)
There will be some new items available — a $5 Grande Nachos Box and a $1 Beef Burrito — but overall, this change represents a massive streamlining of the menu and restaurant operations. In recent months, fast-food chains like McDonald’s, as well as other restaurants, have made efforts to simplify their menus in order to trim costs during the pandemic. “[W]hile 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,” Taco Bell wrote in its release.
Change is hard, thanks! Especially for vegetarians and consumers with plant-based preferences, many of whom have embraced Taco Bell’s potato offerings as a rare alternative in a fast-food world awash with meat (both real and fake). Taco Bell will still serve beans, but sometimes you just want the carb-on-fat-on-carb hit of potatoes, cheese sauce, and sour cream wrapped inside a tortilla, you know?
The real solution, of course, is that more restaurants should probably incorporate a wider variety of non-meat options, especially considering the environmental and worker costs involved in the entire meat industry (and fast food in general).
But I’m not here to tell you how to grieve. Mourn if you must. Feel your pain. And the next time you hit up Taco Bell’s drive-thru at midnight, savor every bite of your Cheesy Fiesta Potatoes, because it may be the last time you taste them in their purest late-night fast-food form for a long time.
There may still be a faint spud-flavored reason not to despair, though. When reached for comment, a Taco Bell representative told Eater: “At this time, some restaurants have eliminated breakfast service based on reduced restaurant hours. While we don’t want to get your hopes up, there is always a possibility that potatoes would remain a key part of the breakfast daypart once business resumes.” That’s a whole lot of hedging, but too late: consider my hopes raised.
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