Taco Bell giveth, and Taco Bell taketh away.
Earlier this Mexican Pizza, aka The People’s Food, returned to our lives. And for a brief moment, America finally knew peace.
But nothing gold can stay.
As we recently, and regretfully, reported, Yum! Brands YUM Taco Bell has already taken the Mexican Pizza off the menu.
A Reddit user in the Taco Bell community posted what appeared to be a screenshot of an internal email, which said that "Because of the incredible love for the Mexican Pizza, we have begun selling out across the country. We will communicate this to our fans later this week. The Mexican Pizza will return later this year; you'll hear more from us as that date approaches.”
And now Taco Bell has posted a FAQ related to the Mexican Pizza, in an attempt to clear up some misconceptions….and to get Twitter to stop being so mean to them online.
So How Did We Get Here, Anyway?
The story of the Mexican Pizza’s disappearance and reappearance is a long, convoluted tale, filled with heartbreaking twists and moments of triumph.
Put briefly, the long-time fan favorite was removed from Taco Bell’s menu in November 2020, as the company was looking to streamline its menu during the pandemic, and was also looking to cut down on the amount of waste its packaging produced.
After a fan outcry and a social media campaign that included 171,000 people signing a Change.org petition begging the chain to bring it back, Taco Bell announced that the item would be back on the menu with more environmentally friendly packaging.
The company announced the Mexican Pizza would return on May 17 for Loyalty program members and May 19 for the masses.
It even recruited Dolly Parton and Doja Cat for "Mexican Pizza: The Musical.” (Icons only.) But those plans have now been put on hold while Taco Bell works to get up to speed.
Joshua Blanchard/Getty Images for Taco Bell
Taco Bell Swears The Mexican Pizza Is Coming Back For Good....Soon
It’s very common for fast food companies to introduce an item for a limited time, and then to remove it, in order to build demand for its inevitable return.
While this approach can help drive customer engagement and helps build loyalty amongst fans who feel they are in the know about these sorts of things, it can also foster resentment in customers who just don’t understand why they can’t get a McRib whenever they feel like it.
But in a new Mexican Pizza-centered FAQ that the company just posted, Taco Bell insists that it’s not trying to play games with our collective hearts. It simply underestimated the pent up need we all had.
“Demand for the Mexican Pizza was seven times higher than when it was last on menus, and replenishing the beloved menu item is taking longer than we’d like,” notes the FAQ.
“Shortages of the Mexican Pizza were unexpected, and have occurred on a rolling basis. We communicated the news to our team members first to ensure they had all of the information and support they’d need to continue serving our guests in our restaurants.”
The company further clarifies its stance by stating that the return was not intended as a limited time deal, and “As soon as we’re able to get the Mexican Pizza back in the hands and stomachs of our biggest fans, it’ll be for good.”
Taco Bell indicated that the Mexican Pizza will return, again, but for real this time, at an unspecified time in the fall.
TheStreet
Twitter Is Still In Its Feelings
Twitter is often considered a place filled with reasonable, understanding people filled with patience and emotional restraint. So while people are disappointed, they understand that these things happen.
Just kidding. People are still mad and they want their Mexican Pizza back right away.
