If ever there was an example of a viral Taco Bell item, it's the Mexican Pizza -- after the Yum! Brands (YUM) chain removed it from the menu during the pandemic, a Change.org petition with over 175,000 signatures demanded its return. People commented online about the "travesty" and "outrage" of snatching away something that has been around in different forms since 1985.
Once known as "Pizzazz Pizza," the dish is made from crunchy tortillas layered with refried beans, ground beef, salsa, tomatoes, and cheese blend.
Taco Bell brought back Mexican Pizza in May 2022 but had to once again retract after demand was so overwhelming that many Taco Bell locations ran out of the ingredients needed to make it. Taco Bell later apologized and said that the Mexican Pizza would be back on the menus for good in a few months.
"It's going to be relaunched mid-September and it's going to be a permanent item," Taco Bell CEO Mark King told Fortune Magazine in an exclusive interview. "I had more feedback -- hate mail! -- over the removal of Mexican pizza [than any other time]."
There May Soon Be a New Way to Eat a Mexican Pizza
While some fans were initially skeptical of Taco Bell's promises to make it permanent, the Mexican Pizza has stayed on menus since the relaunch. This week, news also broke that Taco Bell is testing new varieties of the menu favorite at select locations across the country.
As first reported by CNN, Taco Bell will be testing the "Cheesy Jalapeño Mexican Pizza" in Oklahoma City -- the "cheesier and spicier" version has all of the pizza's regular components along with nacho cheese sauce and jalapeño slices. It will cost between $4.99 and $5.49 depending on food prices at a given location.
The additional components -- cheese sauce and jalapeños -- are currently also available as add-ons at every Taco Bell restaurant for those who want to try it themselves.
Some restaurants in Omaha, Nebraska will soon start serving the "Triple Crunch Mexican Pizza" -- the same ingredients as the regular version but with a third layer of beef, tortilla, and salsa. This version is being presented as a bigger, "more to love" pizza and will cost $5.99.
Both pizzas will be available as of Dec. 22 and serve as a test run to check whether demand is high enough to roll out the product in different locations.
TheStreet
At What Point Does an LTO Become Permanent?
More than most other chains, Taco Bell enjoys adding new promotions to its menus and pulling others. While the chain does have a core menu of tacos and burritos, almost anything is fair game to be removed from the menu or later make a reappearance.
In November, Taco Bell held a customer vote about which item from its past should be brought back and settled on the Enchirito -- a tortilla topped with enchilada sauce that originally debuted in 1970.
Another time social media influenced decisions was with the brand's debut of Nacho Fries. When the fries topped with vaguely Tex-Mex spices launched in 2018, Taco Bell received over 53 million orders in less than two months for what would become its most popular menu item in history.
As with the Mexican Pizza, outcries emerged every time Taco Bell tried to remove the Nacho Fries and, at a recent investors call, King once again said that they are "looking at bringing fries permanently to the menu."
