Taco Bell has made keeping its customers on their toes part of its game plan. The Yum! Brands (YUM) company regularly rotates items on and off its menu, adds new limited-time offers, and brings back favorites. Sometimes, the chain even has super-limited-time offers like its one-week chicken-wing promotion late in 2021.
McDonald's (MCD) does not experiment or change its menu nearly as often as Taco Bell does, but it does make changes, often trying out new items outside the U.S. before bringing them (or a version of them) here.
The chain, of course, does have its favorites, some of which come out at roughly the same time each year, (like the beloved Shamrock Shake) and others like McRib or the McLobster that keep coming back but much more randomly.
It's all part of an effort to keep consumers engaged and excited without adding a lot of cost or requiring much employee training. Taco Bell can change an ingredient or a sauce and have something relatively new. McDonald's can add a new burger topping or combine its ingredients in different ways and it keeps the menu interesting.
Now, Taco Bell has brought back an old favorite, and McDonald's has another take on a chicken sandwich.
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Taco Bell Brings Back a Fan Favorite
Taco Bell seems to change its menu every week. It generally, not always, follows a pattern of introducing an item at a few stores or regionally, then rolling it out nationally if the test results were positive.
That's not the pattern the chain plans to follow for its newly returning Chipotle Cheddar Chalupa, which will be rolled out at participating locations nationwide Chew Boom first reported.
"The Chipotle Cheddar Chalupa features a chewy, flaky Chalupa shell filled with seasoned beef, creamy chipotle sauce, lettuce, tomatoes, and real shredded cheddar cheese," the website reported. "Both the seasoned beef and black bean options carry a suggested price of $3.89 each. You can also upgrade to chicken or steak for a small upcharge."
You can also order the Chipotle Cheddar Chalupa as part of a combo meal, "which includes two Beef Chipotle Cheddar Chalupas, one Crunchy Taco, and a large fountain drink."
McDonald's Adds a New Chicken Sandwich North of the Border
McDonald's, like pretty much every fast-food chain that isn't Popeye's, really wants to have a hit chicken sandwich.
To make that happen, the creator of the Big Mac has tried a lot of different iterations on a fried-chicken sandwich. And now it has introduced the McCrispy, another try at this fast-food holy grail, but only in Canada.
"The McCrispy is a crispy chicken sandwich made with tender and juicy 100% Canadian-raised seasoned chicken. It’s topped with shredded lettuce and creamy mayo-style sauce and served on a soft potato bun for a taste that’s so McDonald’s," the company said on its Canada website.
And while the words "mayo-style" are a tad alarming, this appears to be moving away from the Popeye's model of having a giant piece of fried chicken topped with mayo and pickles as the McDonald's patty looks more fast-food traditional.
The chain has also added a McCrispy Bacon, which adds bacon and a slice of tomato to the above recipe.
