Fast-food franchises are constantly re-tooling their menus in the hopes of keeping customers coming back for more or helping them find their next big hit, like when McDonald’s debuted the McGriddle in 2003 and it’s been a mainstay ever since. Oftentimes, the items are only available for a limited time and come back around every few years or so, and some of them, never see the light of day again.
There are numerous factors that contribute to why fast food items don’t make a comeback or are only offered for a limited time, something that this former corporate chef for a major fast food chain explains here. Chief among them, however, is profitability. If not enough people order them, or corporate feels like the items are more effort than they’re worth, then chances are they aren’t going to stay on the menu.
This is something that TikToker Clara Bell (@notclarabell) is keenly aware of, as demonstrated in a viral TikTok she posted online that has accrued over 239,000 views. In the video, Bell records herself quickly scooping up gobs of Taco Bell’s vegan nacho cheese, stating that she buys copious amounts of the stuff to play her part in ensuring it becomes a staple offering at the chain.
“Me eating my 60th Taco Bell vegan nacho cheese this week because if enough people don’t buy them they’ll take them off the menu,” she writes in a text overlay of the clip.
Taco Bell has had success in launching some items that started off as new additions that resonated with fans, like the Crunchwrap Supreme in 2005, which was the chain’s “most successful product introduction, and bec[ame] a permanent menu addition in January 2006,” according to the brand’s website.
There have been several beloved menu items, however, that were permanently removed, despite the apparent fanfare surrounding them. The 7-layer bean burrito was a fast-food vegetarian’s dream that provided a hearty meal for those who didn’t feel like consuming meat. Loaded Grillers were another menu item that went the way of the dinosaur in July 2020 after Taco Bell completely removed them from all of its menus, along with the Nacho Crunch Grilled Stuffed burrito, the Bell Beefer sloppy joe from the ’90s, Caramel Apple Empanadas, and Double-Decker tacos, to name a few.
Bell’s concern about losing a vegan cheese option at Taco Bell, however, is a valid one. Despite the fact that the chain has listed several custom order ideas that allow folks to still eat vegan when visiting one of its locations, none of these recommendations come with cheese. The option to slather some vegan nacho cheese and hot sauce on a black bean Crunchwrap Supreme could give folks that hearty, cheesy, spicy flavor they crave. The lack of vegan cheese at chain restaurants is a topic that folks have discussed online before, like this one Olive Garden customer who went viral on TikTok after recording themselves bringing their own dairy-free imitation cheese into a restaurant for a sit-down meal.
@notclarabell Ive had taco bell nacho cheese for every dinner this week, i will singlehandedly create the demand for them if i need to
♬ HERE COMES THE hURRICANE LEGENDARY KATRINA – Kevin Jz Prodigy
Commenters who replied to Bell’s video didn’t seem too optimistic about the menu item’s future on Taco Bell’s menu, however.
One person wrote, “Taco bell never keeps anything 😭 might as well accept it now.”
Another remarked, “No bc it’s actually really good but ik they aren’t going to keep it.”
Bell echoed these fears in a comment of her own: “THEY JUST CAME OUT WITH A VEGAN ONE!! but they’ll take it off the menu soon I bet just like every other vegan item.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Taco Bell via email to inquire about its intentions pertaining to vegan Nacho Cheese’s future on its menu, and Clara Bell via email as well.
