Why Some Taco Bell Fans Think Its Popular Mexican Pizza May Return
Taco Bell has created — and then abandoned — some truly iconic food items. According to Time Out, discontinued menu offerings like The Volcano Taco, Nacho Fries, and even Cheesy Fiesta Potatoes have amassed a massive fan following over the years. While these meals definitely made an imprint on the hearts of Taco Bell diners everywhere, the chain's famous Mexican Pizza truly left a mark. According to Restaurant Business Online, this dish was launched in 1988 with a promising tagline: "it's like pizza, but it's different." The Mexican Pizza is essentially a couple of tortilla shells filled with beans and ground beef and topped with cheese, tomatoes, salsa, and onions. Much to the disappointment of many customers, the brand decided to get rid of the iconic dish during the pandemic.
This was painful for many fans, who couldn't help but hope for its return. They even started a Change.org petition to bring it back. Fans often express their love for the menu item on social media, like one fan on Twitter who wrote, "Remember when @tacobell had the #mexicanpizza? Those were good times." Fans are clearly not over the loss of their beloved pizza. A Taco Bell executive even told customers to not give up hope, telling customers that the brand always listens to its diners and there's always a chance the item might return. Another glimmer of hope recently shone over on social media — someone on Reddit indicated back in August 2021 that the dish may return.
The 'Taco Bell ad' is a little suspicious
A Redditor put up an image of what looked like an advertisement claiming the Mexican Pizza would return in October. While the update seemed uplifting, other users noticed that the image didn't look legitimate. The top-rated comment read, "Don't do this. Don't give me hope," while other gems included, "Is this real? Because it looks REALLY fake, haha," "Why is the "L" lowercase when the rest of the word is uppercase letters??," and "I had that memory of sweet taste of Mexican pizza in my mouth and you just ripped it away from me again."
As another user said, there were some obvious errors in the copy. For example, "ranch" was spelled incorrectly. Another fan said that if the item really does make a comeback, they'll buy the Mexican Pizza in bulk and freeze them "to stock up." Another comment echoed what many Taco Bell fans have been feeling for a while, reading, "I'm honestly really sad it's not true."
While you still can't get a Mexican Pizza stateside, one country still has the item on the menu. If you can make it far enough north, you can enjoy one of these creations at a Canadian Taco Bell. While the item may not have made it back to menus in the U.S., at least not yet, Taco Bell always has time to listen to its customers, whether it involves bringing back menu items or discontinuing them due to environmental reasons. So, keep holding out hope, Mexican Pizza fans!
Why Taco Bell dropped the Mexican Pizza
Many can't begin to understand why the Tex-Mex chain even thought about dropping this beloved menu item. According to Delish, the petition to bring back the item contains comments like "Losing this item would not only be the loss of one of our favorite foods, but a piece of our childhood & heritage as Indian Americans."
Meanwhile, the chain cited environmental factors as to why they decided to stop carrying the beloved twist on pizza. Despite selling well enough, the packaging required several million pounds of paperboard material in the United States alone, making for some extreme waste. It's also in Taco Bell's nature to change its menu, especially when it comes to removing menu items that are especially popular. After discontinuing some of its other popular options, like the XXL Grilled Stuft Burrito, the chain put out a statement reading "Sometimes you have to let go of the old to welcome in the new."
When the beloved pizza disappeared for good, everyone took notice, including the competition. Adweek reported that competitor Del Taco sent out an ad reading, "Mexican Pizza Gone??? Call 1 (877) 3-GHOSTED," poking fun at the item's demise. If you had hopes that Mexican Pizza would find its way back to Taco Bell menus, you might have to settle for The Country Cook's homemade version, featuring soft tortillas and enchilada sauce. In the meantime, keep your fingers crossed that the Tex-Mex chain one day brings back this fan favorite.