Fast food makes you feel good -- at least mentally if not always physically.
There's something comforting about ordering a meal that you know may not be the best choice for your health or your waistline but that's familiar and tasty.
Most, if not all, adults know they can get a burger that's decidedly better than anything McDonald's (MCD) or Wendy's (WEN) offers, but that's not really the point.
When you visit a fast-food chain, especially an old-school one that has been around since your youth, you do so partly because you know what you're getting. Even if you know you're being a bit naughty with your diet, that's easy to forgive in the broader scheme of things.
McDonald's, among all the chains, seems most aware of this. It's why the company courts families. Mom and dad might feel guilty getting a Big Mac, some Chicken McNuggets, and an order of fries, but if they bring their kids there, it's practically a family outing.
Yum Brands' (YUM) Taco Bell also understands that it offers adults a mix of guilty pleasure and comfort. That's something the chain has leaned into with its latest menu items.
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Taco Bell Brings Back Something Unique and Familiar
Taco Bell changes its menu more than any other fast-food chain. That's partly because it's pretty easy to swap out an ingredient or two and make something new, even if it's just a variant on a bunch of other items it already offered.
With its latest offering, the chain has added a new twist on a burrito that also embraces classic comfort food. It's a three-item lineup that's new, familiar, and oddly comforting all at once.
At least, that's what Taco Bell appears to be going for with its new Grilled Cheese Burritos, which come in three varieties including Seasoned Beef, Double, Steak, and Spicy Double Steak.
At times, Taco Bell can be innovative with its new offerings. This isn't one of those times. The Grilled Cheese Burrito is essentially a burrito topped with melted cheese.
"The classic Grilled Cheese Burrito features seasoned beef, nacho cheese sauce, seasoned rice, fiesta strips, creamy chipotle sauce, reduced-fat sour cream, and three-cheese blend wrapped inside a warm flour tortilla, with even more three-cheese blend grilled on the top," Chew Boom reported.
Offering variants of a new item with different proteins follow the Taco Bell playbook, and all these meats are offered on other menu items.
Taco Bell Keeps Its Menu Interesting
Chipotle (CMG), Taco Bell's rival in the Mexican fast-food space has built its reputation on quality. (Chipotle calls itself "fast casual.") Taco Bell has courted customers with constant menu changes. And while adding some cheese to a burrito may not be all that innovative, it offers customers something new and keeps them engaged.
Chipolte rarely adds new menu items, so when it does, it's a big deal. Taco Bell tries to make shaking things up part of what customers expect. You never know when you visit a Taco Bell exactly what might be on the menu. The chain may offer an old favorite with a new sauce, a different take on pizza, or something truly unexpected like the week it offered chicken wings.
Taco Bell doesn't have to make every new idea innovative. In this case, it's offering a variant on a classic grilled cheese. That's something every customer understands -- -- who, aside from the lactose intolerant, doesn't want more cheese? -- and it's an easy, inexpensive way to do something different even if it's not all that new.
