New York
CNN
—
Taco Bell is spinning up new varieties of its popular Mexican Pizza.
The chain revealed that it’s testing two new types of the beloved menu item, which came back in May following a two-year absence because of pandemic-induced menu changes. For the unfamiliar, the Mexican Pizza consists of a flat, crispy tortilla covered with pizza sauce and either beans or ground beef. It’s topped with another tortilla that’s smothered with more sauce, a blend of cheeses and chopped tomatoes.
In Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the chain will sell a Cheesy Jalapeño Mexican Pizza that is described in a press release as “cheesier and spicier.” This new version is topped with nacho cheese sauce and spicy jalapeño slices and is priced between $4.99 and $5.49 depending on the restaurant.
And in Omaha, Nebraska, customers can try a Triple Crunch Mexican Pizza, which has three layers instead of the usual two. Taco Bell said that the “more to love” version also has twice the beans and beef. It costs $5.99.
Both pizzas go on sale beginning December 22 for a limited time.
Fast-food chains must constantly compete for customers’ dollars and attention, and specialty offerings are a way to try to cut through the noise. Taco Bell, in particular, regularly experiments with its menu by adding limited-time offers to stimulate customer interest.
In particular, the Mexican Pizza has been an enormous success for the chain. When the item returned in May, it sold out quickly and caused the company to pull it from menus for about three months until it had enough ingredients for it to return.
Taco Bell said that during its initial run, it sold 20 million Mexican Pizzas across the country, and attributed growth in loyalty membership to customers’ desire for early access to the product.
Sales at Taco Bell locations open at least a year jumped 6% in the third quarter compared to the prior year, according to parent company Yum Brands, which also owns KFC and Pizza Hut.
