How does Taco Bell keep its prices so low... all while keeping its food so very crave-worthy?
Well, there's actually more to it than meets the eye. Here's the real scoop on why Taco
Bell's food is always so damn cheap… not that we're complaining.
One thing's for certain: a lot of people go absolutely bananas for Taco Bell.
"These are wrappers for the Doritos Locos Tacos…."
Many fast-food aficionados are particularly enamored with Taco Bell's dollar menu, which
is the stuff of legend among the Meximelt-slurping set. And no wonder: It offers plenty of delicious
meals at especially low prices. But in December 2018, Taco Bell switched up its famous dollar
menu and rebranded it as the Cravings Value Menu. As you can imagine, this move allowed
Taco Bell to expand its offerings. That's ultimately a good thing for you, because it
means even more great deals on delicious food. For fast food fanatics, this is a bona fide
gamechanger.
"Let's get to the big news this morning. Taco Bell's Value Menu is getting beefier."
The value menu now has several different tiers, which means you can start out with something
for a dollar and pile on a bunch of extras like guacamole and sour cream for a few cents
each. Those ingredients all add up to a cheap, delicious, and filling meal… so no reason
to panic about the change.
The bottom line? The new menu is very similar to the dollar menu… only now it's better
and even more dynamic.
Taco Bell's beef isn't exactly 100 percent real beef. In fact, the chain only gets a
B+ in the meat quality department. But thanks to a lawsuit that was resolved in April 2011,
we now have a much clearer idea of what's really going into all that beef.
"Give me something big / with a bunch of beef / 89 cent cheesy double-beef burrito."
For starters, there's a handful of ingredients with big, long, super-confusing names like
these. The beef also includes several stabilizers, lactic acid, and artificial coloring.
The beef's most surprising ingredient? Cocoa powder, probably for the sake of coloring.
So, like we said, this most assuredly is not one-hundred percent beef… but then again,
what did you expect?
"I'm pretty sure you know what you're paying for when you come to Taco Bell. If you want
real beef, you'd probably go somewhere else."
If you regularly read the nutrition facts on fast food menus, you probably know that
franchises often save money by including filler ingredients… and Taco Bell is no different.
Does that really surprise you?
"Mmmm, I'm thinking about a neon-orange, meat-filled miracle taco wrapped in a Nacho Cheese Dorito
shell."
Need a clear example of these filler ingredients? A quick glance at Taco Bell's ingredient list
reveals that the chain's eggs contain soybean oil, xanthan gum, and guar gum. Xanthan gum
thickens and stabilizes the eggs, resulting in a creamy texture and a longer shelf life,
which saves Taco Bell money in the long run by reducing food waste.
Meanwhile, xanthan gum doesn't exactly make the food less healthy per se, but your body
can't digest it. That means it provides no nutrients… but it does help keep the prices
of Taco Bell's breakfast options down, such as they are.
"The next generation of breakfast is here. Introducing the Waffle Taco."
Quick quiz: Have you ever met a Taco Bell employee as perky as this?
"If you need some help, just ask! Put on the works… the answer just might be…?"
Here's the unfortunate truth: Fast food is often cheap because the employees aren't paid
particularly well. At all.
As you probably know, fast food workers are often paid minimum wage or just above minimum
wage. According to the website PayScale, Taco Bell's salaries range from an average of $7.81
to $14.18 per hour. Kitchen workers generally earn just $8.50. The same site estimates that
the average fast food worker's salary is $8.85, which puts Taco Bell at a similar rate to
most other fast food chains.
One reason Taco Bell's food is so cheap is because the employees aren't making a whole
lot of money by working there. Of course, that ultimately means more savings for customers,but
it's got to be rather frustrating for employees.
People buy fast food for a reason, and it's not just because they're lazy. In many cases,
Taco Bell patrons are simply looking for a cheap and somewhat healthy way to feed their
whole family on a budget, sometimes after working long hours or when they're just too
damn busy to cook.
Taco Bell definitely took this into account when conceiving its party packs, which are
designed for customers who want to feed multiple people with one super-simple, super-filling
order.
We all know Taco Bell has some killer deals on its food, with many delicious items only
costing one dollar. Well, one reason those prices manage to stay low is presumably because
Taco Bell's add-ons end up costing you extra in the long run.
In fact, Taco Bell claims customers can choose from millions of menu combinations and modifications.
Well, as you indulge in these endless choices, keep in mind that it's going to cost you:
Spending 50 cents here and 50 cents there adds up pretty darn fast. Still, it's totally
and completely worth it, right? Right!
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