Taco Bell's New $7 Meal Deal Is Pricier Than Advertised, Customers Report
Scores of fast-food chains have been rolling out value deals to entice price-wary customers who've been eating out less, and Taco Bell was the latest to jump on the trend with the launch of its new $7 Luxe Cravings Box. But according to customers, the deal isn't quite as affordable in some stores as Taco Bell is advertising.
The meal box officially hit menus on June 27 and will stick around through September. It comes with a Chalupa Supreme (360 calories), a Beefy 5-Layer Burrito (500 calories), a Double Stacked Taco (320 calories), chips and nacho cheese sauce (220 calories), and a medium drink.
"With the launch of the $7 Luxe Cravings Box, we're giving consumers our most craveable items at an affordable price point and living up to our commitment on value to satisfy cravings with fan-favorite, full-sized menu items," Taylor Montgomery, chief marketing officer at Taco Bell North America, said in a statement.
Taco Bell says the $7 deal is 55% cheaper than what it would cost customers to order the items separately. However, some fans have been irked to discover that the meal is more expensive than the advertised price at their local Taco Bell stores.
Soon after the box launched, a customer took to Reddit to share a photo of the item priced at $11.99 at their local Taco Bell. In other posts and comments, customers have reported seeing the meal selling for $9.99, $9.49, $8.49, and even $17.99.
That's not to say that every Taco Bell is charging more than the advertised price for the new $7 Luxe Cravings Box. Many customers say their local stores are honoring the $7 price, and the meal costs exactly $7 at my local store in central New Jersey as well. The press release announcing the new meal deal also included a disclaimer that the actual price could vary.
Still, many customers were miffed to see that the value offer costs more in some areas than what they were led to believe.
"It's so absurd that they can advertise it as a $7 box on the app and then you go to order it and it's NOT $7 dollars!" a Redditor wrote.
"Extremely deceptive," another said.
When contacted for comment on the varying price reports and complaints, Taco Bell shared the following statement with Eat This, Not That!:
"Our ultimate goal with the $7 Luxe Cravings Box is to allow our fans to enjoy their favorites without having to compromise on quantity, craveability or price. Varying prices are always a possibility depending on location, but the vast majority of our Taco Bell locations are offering the Luxe Box at $7 with one of our most abundant value offers yet."
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