Taco Bell's Rival Launches a New Version of the Discontinued Mexican Pizza
At long last, the Mexican Pizza is back—but not at Taco Bell. Instead, rival chain Del Taco is launching a new product line aimed at assuaging the disappointment of Taco Bell customers.
When the Mexican Pizza, essentially a customizable tostada featuring two tortillas, was removed from Taco Bell's menus last year, an incredibly vocal campaign to bring the product back followed. A petition to bring the item back amassed a whopping 163,000 signatures, becoming one of the most signed petitions on Change.org. Several accounts and hashtags also sprung up on Twitter to promote the same cause—saving the Mexican Pizza from the "cold grips of death."
And while Taco Bell ended up bringing back several discontinued menu items this year, the Mexican Pizza wasn't one of them. Enter Del Taco, with its own version of a crunchy tostada called the Crunchtada. Though some iterations of this item have been off and on the chain's menu since 2013, it's adding three new versions to its permanent menu—all in the name of helping Taco Bell fans rebound.
"More than a year ago, a certain tostada-like menu item, described as a Mexican Pizza, disappeared from a major Mexican fast-food chain, and fans took to social media and other online platforms en masse to air their grievances," Del Taco said in a statement. "Their requests went unanswered, leaving hundreds of thousands of consumers hangry, sad, and GHOSTED."
Served on a freshly-fried tortilla and loaded with toppings, Crunchtadas are a close imitation of everything you loved about Mexican Pizzas. In fact, they're loaded with even more toppings than the original. Aside from the vegetarian bean and cheese Crunchtada, which was already on Del Taco's $1 menu, the chain is launching new Chicken Guacamole and Queso Beef Crunchtadas, too.
Furthermore, the chain is promoting the new products with a digital campaign that takes a dig at Taco Bell's missed opportunity. A 15-second video spot slated to run on major social media platforms will provide a phone number that fans can call for a Crunchtada promo code. Let the revenge eating begin!
For more on the latest fast-food trends, check out the 5 Shortages Affecting Fast-Food Chains Right Now. And don't forget to sign up for our newsletter to get all of the latest restaurant news delivered straight to your inbox.
