Taco Bell is bringing back potatoes, rejoice! And they're testing Beyond Meat, too.
The long national nightmare is over: Taco Bell is bringing back potatoes.
The hit menu item got axed earlier in the pandemic, but the beloved fast food chain announced on Thursday that they were coming back in March.
The potatoes — favorites like cheesy fiesta potatoes and the spicy potato soft taco — will officially return on March 11. And there's more: Taco Bell will also begin a test-run with Beyond Meat to offer a plant-based protein on its menu. It's all part of a push from the fast food chain to expand its vegetarian options.
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"The return of our beloved potatoes is just the first step in showing our fans the strong continued commitment to vegetarian we are making this year,” said Liz Matthews, Taco Bell’s global chief food innovation officer, in a statement. "We have long been a leader in the vegetarian space, but this year, we have more meatless options in store that vegetarians, veggie-curious and even meat-eaters will love."
Taco Bell even put out a silly video where the CEO announced the changes through a potato filter.
"It's a new year with new possibilities," CEO Mark King said in the video.
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The chain didn't announce a firm date when Beyond Meat would be available. It also didn't announce what the Beyond menu items would look like, only that it planned to test it out this year.
Taco Bell announced over the summer that it would be cutting potatoes from its menu, along with other favorites like the Quesarito, Loaded Grillers, and 7-layer burrito. Folks weren't happy.
"Taco Bell is in fact simplifying its menu to streamline operations and make ordering faster, safer and easier than ever for customers and team members, especially while the pandemic has shifted priorities to the drive-thru and digital," a spokesperson said at the time.
With the pandemic still raging some five months later, Taco Bell has at least reversed course on the potatoes. And for that, let us rejoice.
Tim Marcin is an Associate Editor on the culture team at Mashable, where he mostly digs into the weird parts of the internet. You'll also see some coverage of memes, tech, sports, trends, and the occasional hot take. You can find him on Bluesky (sometimes), Instagram (infrequently), or eating Buffalo wings (as often as possible).
