THEN AND NOW: How the Taco Bell menu has changed through the years (2024)

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Erin McDowell

2021-06-28T15:04:37Z

THEN AND NOW: How the Taco Bell menu has changed through the years (1)

Taco Bell was founded in Downey, California, by Glen Bell in 1962.
The very first menu had five items that cost 19 cents each.
In the decades since, the US menu has changed dramatically.

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When Taco Bell opened in 1962, it offered just five menu items.

THEN AND NOW: How the Taco Bell menu has changed through the years (2)

The first Taco Bell restaurant opened in Downey, California. Each item cost just 19 cents, and the menu featured traditional Mexican favorites like frijoles, tostadas, burritos, and tacos, plus chili burgers.

Two years later, the chain's first franchise opened in Torrance, California.

A photo of the menu from 1973 shows the options Taco Bell had added.

THEN AND NOW: How the Taco Bell menu has changed through the years (3)

It offered just a few drink options: Pepsi, orange soda, root beer, and coffee. However, there were even more options for food. From the chain's famous "enchiritos," a cross between a burrito and an enchilada, to tostadas and a menu item called the Bellburger, the menu was more expansive.

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The chain began selling its famous "enchiritos," a cross between a burrito and an enchilada, in the late 1960s.

THEN AND NOW: How the Taco Bell menu has changed through the years (4)

By the 1970s, the enchirito had become one of the taco chain's most popular menu items. This was largely due to the fact that it came in reheatable packaging that allowed people to take it home, according to the Huffington Post.

In 1984, Taco Bell introduced the Taco Salad and Taco BellGrande.

THEN AND NOW: How the Taco Bell menu has changed through the years (5)

The fast-food chain was still in its early years but had already paved the way by selling Tex-Mex food, as opposed to the usual burgers and fries other chains were offering.

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Taco Bell's Mexican Pizza was a staple menu item up until last year.

THEN AND NOW: How the Taco Bell menu has changed through the years (6)

Taco Bell introduced the Mexican Pizza in 1988 with an ad claiming, "It's like pizza, but it's different."

In September 2020, Taco Bell announced it would be dropping the fan-favorite Mexican Pizza from its newly streamlined menu starting November 5.

"We know some fans may be sad to see this one go, we are too. One silver lining of saying goodbye to the Mexican Pizza that might help you rest easy is that removing it from our menus helps us work towards ourcommitmentto leave a lighter footprint on our planet," Taco Bell said in apress release.

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Taco Bell launched its value menu in 1989.

THEN AND NOW: How the Taco Bell menu has changed through the years (7)

When the first "value menu" launched, Taco Bell priced a taco at just 39 cents. However, according to a New York Times article from 1990, former Taco Bell CEO John Martin said the chain's "transactions went through the roof, but profitability went through the floor."

The price of a taco was then raised to 49 cents. A summer 1994 commercial still touted that customers could order a taco for 49 cents, a Supreme taco for 79 cents, and Big Beef taco for 99 cents.

You can still order from Taco Bell's value menu, but it only has seven menu items. Each item costs $1.

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In 2004, Taco Bell began selling Mountain Dew Baja Blast.

THEN AND NOW: How the Taco Bell menu has changed through the years (8)

It was the first time a fast-food chain had teamed up with a beverage company — in this case Pepsi — to create a drink specifically to pair with their menu. The drink is still a favorite among Taco Bell fans.

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In 2014, Taco Bell officially launched its breakfast menu nationwide.

THEN AND NOW: How the Taco Bell menu has changed through the years (9)

It was thebrand's largest marketing campaign to date and the additions were immediately profitable.

Today, items on the chain's breakfast menu range from different kinds of burritos to the breakfast Crunchwrap.

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Taco Bell introduced its Naked Chicken chalupa in 2017 — the chain just brought it back again.

THEN AND NOW: How the Taco Bell menu has changed through the years (10)

The first launch of the menu item was a major success and led the chain to begin testing more chicken products. The Naked Chicken chalupa consists of a crunchy fried chicken shell wrapped around lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and avocado ranch sauce. Following its release in 2017, Business Insider called it one of the chain's "most controversial menu items."

It was on menus for a limited time that year and again in 2018. The chain brought it back on May 20, 2021.

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In 2018, Taco Bell launched its Nacho Fries, and they would become the most successful menu item in the company's history.

THEN AND NOW: How the Taco Bell menu has changed through the years (11)

According to a 2018 report issued by Taco Bell parent company Yum! Brands, more than 53 million orders for Nacho Fries were placed before the item disappeared from the menu in April 2018.

They were brought back a few months later and again in January 2019 and December 2020. However, they are no longer available as of June 2021.

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Taco Bell removed its fan-favorite potatoes from its menu in 2020 but brought them back shortly after.

THEN AND NOW: How the Taco Bell menu has changed through the years (12)

In July, thefast-food chain announced it would be removing 12 items from its menu, including fan-favorite items such as Cheesy Fiesta Potatoes, Nachos Supreme, and Loaded Grillers. At the time, the chain said scaling back the menu would "leave room for new fan favorites, continued progress in categories such as plant-based diets, and even opportunities for the return of some classics on a limited time basis."

Somefans were outraged by the decision to ax potatoes, calling it the chain's "worst idea to date."

Potatoes returned to the menu in March 2021.

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However, not even a pandemic could prevent chains from entering the fast-food chicken wars.

THEN AND NOW: How the Taco Bell menu has changed through the years (13)

Taco Bell began testing its crispy chicken sandwich tacos in March 2021 in Nashville, Tennessee, and Charlotte, North Carolina. A nationwide release is expected later this year.

The new menu item definitely appears to aim to get in on the infamous "chicken sandwich wars" taking over the fast-food industry, with most major chains launching new iterations of their chicken sandwiches in the past two years.

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Today, similar to when it first opened, the chain sells burritos and tacos, but its menu has expanded greatly.

THEN AND NOW: How the Taco Bell menu has changed through the years (14)

Taco Bell now serves a variety of different burritos and tacos, including the chain's famous Nacho Cheese Doritos Locos tacos. You certainly wouldn't have found that on the original menu.