While McDonald's (MCD) is known for its (almost) unwavering stability over the years, Taco Bell is all about teasing customers with something delicious and then replacing it with something else.
Limited-time promotions are the Yum! Brands (YUM)-owned chain's whole thing and, as fans of everything from the queso-coated chicken wings to the Mexican pizza know all too well, you should not get too attached to any one product on its menu.
Did Someone Say Chalupa?
Just like the Mexican Pizza, Taco Bell's Toasted Cheddar Chalupa quickly became a major fan favorite.
Hardly a day would pass without somebody demanding its return on social media.
The six-month aged cheddar atop the fried chalupa shell was a particular favorite — one fan wrote on Twitter (TWTR) that its presence "makes the world a much better place."
Taco Bell took the heed and brought back the chalupa for a limited-time period.
Fans will have a choice of chicken, steak or seasoned beef "alongside shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, grated cheddar cheese and reduced-fat sour cream."
While of the same shape and fill-it-with-deliciousness concept as a taco, a chalupa is generally thicker and made of deep-fried dough instead of a tortilla.
There is also a veggie version featuring the black beans used in many of Taco Bell's vegetarians items.
The chalupas will be available a la carte for $4.19 each or as part of the $5.49 Toasted Cheddar Chalupa Box with a taco, some Cinnamon Twists and a fountain drink.
No word on when Taco Bell will toy with fans' hearts by pulling it off the menu again but as the chalupa is advertised as a limited-time promotion, that day will come sooner or later.
In the two days that it's been on the menu, the chalupa already managed to generate thousands of excited posts.
One user said that it "just does something to my soul."
What's Been Happening With Taco Bell?
The chalupa is not the only new Taco Bell product.
The Grilled Cheese Breakfast Biscuit, Nacho Fries and Hot Ranch Fries and the Brisk Dragon Paradise Sparkling Iced Tea and Dole Lemonade Strawberry Squeeze drinks were all recently added to menus both nationwide and in different parts of the country.
The chain also recently added Kalua Pork to certain Cantina locations in Hawaii and partnered with country icon Dolly Parton for a "Mexican Pizza: The Musical" performance on TikTok.
But the biggest risk that the Tex-Mex chain was in the form of the subscription model.
In January, it launched the Taco Lovers' Pass that lets customers order one of the chain's seven popular tacos each day in a given month for $10.
"We've seen exactly what we hoped we would: customers who had the pass increased their visits to Taco Bell three times more compared to when they didn't have the pass," Taco Bell's Chief Digital Officer Zipporah Allen told TheStreet in February.
"Twenty percent of the passes that we sell are completely new customers that are coming into the Taco Bell rewards program and formalizing their membership with the brand."
