Taco Bell enthusiasts wanted a Tex-Mex version of fast-food french fries for years...and
the company finally delivered them to eager eaters back in 2018.
But what exactly is this craze all about?
We decided to take a deeper look.
This is the untold truth of Taco Bell's Nacho Fries.
Over the years, Taco Bell has come out with some truly creative menu items: You've got
your delicious Doritos Locos Tacos, your ever-so tasty Double Stacked Tacos, and your forever
famed Crunchwrap Supreme, to name just a few.
Honestly, it's hard to believe that something as simple as cheesy fries with seasoning could
become so ridiculously popular.
"Let's go get that cheese."
Yet, here we are.
When Nacho Fries debuted in 2018, Nation's Restaurant News reported that 53 million orders
had been sold within just the first five weeks.
Those numbers put them on track to dethrone the top product holding the crown at the time,
Doritos Locos Tacos.
For whatever reason, people went absolutely bananas for these Nacho Fries.
Discussing the product launch, a Taco Bell spokesman told Nation's Restaurant News,
"We're seeing fries in one out of every three orders, compared to one out of every four
for [Doritos Locos Tacos]."
Apparently, these little morsels were the Taco Bell snack we didn't know we needed.
In a 2018 press release, Taco Bell introduced the long-awaited Nacho Fries as a new addition
to Taco Bell's value menu...and this new offering could be yours for just $1.
Leading up to the launch, CNBC reported that
"[Taco Bell's] $1 menu items garnered more than $500 million in sales in 2017."
No wonder the fast-food chain wanted to capitalize on that craze.
A month before announcing the release of Nacho Fries, Taco Bell revealed they'd be introducing
twenty $1 menu items over the course of the year.
Little did we know what a masterpiece they had up their sleeves.
Rumor has it that Taco Bell wanted to debut something big to make a splash, and to really
make their value menu stand out…because competitors like Jack in the Box and McDonald's
were also revamping their value menus.
We imagine both franchises were rather rattled by the move.
"The Nacho Cheese sauce.
The Mexican spices.
They don't want these coming out."
The launch of Nacho Fries actually helped sell a lot of other Taco Bell offerings.
It was clear the chain had a star on its hands when the product immediately took off, bringing
in millions of dollars in just the first few weeks.
"Is there anything that tastes better than this?"
Since most people never go to Taco Bell for just one thing, general sales rose at the
same time.
After all, what's a Taco Bell order without a few tacos thrown in?
As Restaurant Business reports,
"One out of every four orders during that period included the fries, which helped Taco
Bell’s same-store sales rise 1% in the company’s first quarter ended March 31 [2018]."
Considering the company had seen an 8% increase around the same time in 2017, the numbers
were cause for celebration.
According to Greg Creed, the CEO of YUM Brands,
“The $1 fries helped the business.
The good news is a 25% incidence is great.
Eight percent is a tough number to lap, given what’s going on with the marketplace."
When they first launched, Taco Bell's Nacho Fries were initially only available for a
limited time…but they've reappeared a few times since then, most recently at the end
of January 2020.
And you better believe it's always big news when they return:
The jury is still out as to whether Taco Bell will ever put them on the menu permanently.
The company's track record suggests they'll keep ripping them away from fans over and
over again…only to suddenly bring them back.
"Limited time only?
Without more nacho cheese sauce, I'm nothing!"
What a wicked game they play.
After the January 2018 debut, Taco Bell stripped them from the menu and announced they'd be
back for a limited time in June the same year.
"Chaos unfolds as Taco Bell's beloved Nacho Fries vanish yet again."
Months later, they were back to taunt and tantalize us in January 2019, and then they
were back again in June 2019.
Frankly, it's all a bit much.
But perhaps this is all part of Taco Bell's grand scheme.
After all, absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Scarcity breeds value.
And, just like the ad campaign says: It's all about "Supply and Demand."
Still, fans are getting impatient, taking to social media to express their frustrations
and their love of Nacho Fries.
One avid consumer begged the company on Twitter,
"Please when you bring back my nacho fries, just add them to the menu to stay.
Never get rid of them again!"
We concur.
Long before Nacho Fries made their grand debut in the United States, Taco Bell was selling
similar offerings in other countries.
In 2016, Business Insider reported that Taco Bell locations in Japan were serving french
fries loaded with cheddar and nacho cheese, beef, sour cream, and green onions, a delicious
alternative to your typical nachos.
And that's not all.
Locations in Chile were serving up burritos with french fries stuffed inside while locations
in Guatemala had a whole menu devoted to fries.
Meanwhile, the Taco Bells over in Canada sold a side order of fries, long before Nacho Fries
made their U.S. debut.
Why does Taco Bell like to play these games with us?
We may never know for sure.
All the major fast-food players have been selling fries for years.
We're thinking of McDonald's, Wendy's, and Burger King, to name but a few.
So why did it take so long for Taco Bell to join the club?
"I want fries."
"Honey, Taco Bell doesn't have fries."
From what we understand, Taco Bell wanted their fries to be absolutely perfect.
Liz Matthews, global chief food innovation officer for Taco Bell, told Nation's Restaurant
News:
"We had a lot of attempts at fries over the years...We don't give up on things.
[Our other attempts were] good, but we wanted great."
In addition, Taco Bell needed to make sure all of their ducks were in a row before they
introduced their fries…even after they'd perfected the recipe.
According to Teen Vogue, they had to make sure their supply chain could handle the number
of potatoes needed to satisfy demand.
And, of course, they had to install new fryers inside their stores.
So here's a question: What does it take to make the perfect Taco Bell Nacho Fry?
Rene Pisciotti, a head chef for Taco Bell's test kitchen, told Teen Vogue that the ratio
of fry to nacho cheese sauce had to be just right, which was difficult to gauge when creating
the recipe.
As she puts it,
"In the order of importance for consumers, it's gotta be crispy.
It's gotta be hot, and it's gotta be well seasoned.
So we developed a fry that we made sure was super crispy, stayed hot and obviously is
well seasoned."
Meanwhile, the test kitchen fussily debated on a number of issues, from the thickness
of the fries to the overall shape.
They even fought about the batter and the amount of seasoning.
See, there needed to be enough surface area for the seasoning, and enough heft so the
fries could hold all the nacho cheese sauce.
Plus, if you're going to load up french fries with toppings like ground beef or shredded
chicken, they need to be thick, right?
Taco Bell didn't just release its Nacho Fries and hope for the best.
After several stages of development, these tasty treats had to be thoroughly tested to
make sure they were a bonafide crowd pleaser.
In 2016, Taco Bell began testing Nacho Fries at their Irvine location in Southern California.
At the time, Brand Eating reported that
"[The flavor of the seasoning was described] as a 'habanero' that wasn't all that spicy."
In 2017, Taco Bell began testing the fries in West Virginia stores, which sold the product
for $1.
After the successful test markets, the fries finally made their way to other restaurants
for the much-anticipated nationwide launch.
Everyone expects french fries to be packed with carbs, because potatoes.
And they probably expect more than a sprinkle of salt.
But it turns out, Taco Bell's Nacho Fries come packed with a whole lot more sodium than
your typical order.
In fact, just one order of these crazy popular fries contains 630 milligrams of sodium.
Yes, some of that is coming from the nacho cheese sauce included in the order, but considering
Taco Bell's order of Chips and Nacho Cheese only comes with 250 milligrams of sodium,
the cheese sauce isn't really where all of that salt is coming from.
In comparison, a large order of McDonald's French Fries has 400 milligrams of sodium.
According to Healthline, the American Heart Association recommends a daily intake of 1,500
milligrams of sodium, while the US Department of Health and Human Services recommends 2,300
milligrams.
Either way, Taco Bell's Nacho Fries puts a pretty big dent in those daily numbers.
That amount may be fair for an entire burrito, but is one-quarter of your daily intake really
worth it for a little snack?
When you dive in and really take a look, Taco Bell's Nacho Fries are a pretty simple concept.
Unsurprisingly, the main ingredient is potatoes, with vegetable oil coming in second.
A slew of other ingredients are added to the potatoes to preserve them and give them a
uniform appearance.
The flavor in the seasoning comes from garlic, paprika, onion, salt, aged cayenne red peppers,
and vinegar, all flavors typically found in Mexican cuisine.
Now, just pair that up with Taco Bell's standard nacho cheese, and voila!
The genius of the product may just be in its simplicity.
When Nacho Fries returned to Taco Bell in January 2020, so did a new flavor: A Buffalo
Chicken version.
Prior to that, Taco Bell offered up Steak Rattlesnake Fries and Reaper Ranch Fries…but
the Buffalo Chicken version really kicks things up a notch.
The dish is topped with shredded chicken, buffalo sauce, nacho cheese sauce, cheese,
sour cream, and pico de gallo.
Additionally, customers can add guacamole, jalapenos, and spicy ranch dressing.
Of course, if customers want a simpler version, Nacho Fries can be ordered as a side...with
the option to swap out the nacho cheese sauce for a buffalo dipping sauce instead.
So what'll it be?
Taco Bell isn't Burger King...but you can still have their Nacho Fries your way.
When the superstar snack first debuted, you could upgrade your order to Supreme or Bell
Grande status, which includes a healthy amount of ground beef, nacho cheese, sour cream,
refried beans, tomatoes; the works...
These days, if you're feeling really wild, you can order a Nachos Bell Grande and add
Nachos Fries to the meal.
That way, you'll get the very best of both worlds.
Feel free to pile on extras like jalapenos, black beans, and rice.
Or get your Nacho Fries with a box meal, which gives you a Beefy 5-Layer Burrito and a taco.
It's a whole world of possibilities out there.
"Bring home the taste sensation.
Taco Bell's Nacho Fries, now with delicious bonus content."
For quite awhile now, Taco Bell fans have been waiting for the opportunity to add french
fries to their burritos.
Well, guess what?
The wait is over.
The California Burrito is a popular and delicious new concept that originated in San Diego,
and it's perhaps one of the most beautiful developments to hit the Tex-Mex movement.
Here's the gist: A bunch of fresh, crunchy fries are stuffed into your burrito, turning
you into an extremely full and happy person.
Taco Bell began testing a version in 2017 in a Charleston, West Virginia location, along
with Loaded Fries Burritos.
But now, thanks to the introduction of Nacho Fries and their buffalo chicken counterpart,
Taco Bell lovers can add Nacho Fries to burritos whenever they want, or at least whenever Taco
Bell actually has their Nacho Fries on the menu.
The Buffalo Chicken Nacho Fries Burrito comes stuffed with shredded chicken, nacho cheese
sauce, buffalo sauce, cheese, pico de gallo, sour cream, and, of course, Nacho Fries.
If you ask nicely, Taco Bell has also been known to add Nacho Fries to menu items like
the Crunchwrap Supreme, the 7-Layer Burrito, and, once again, the Beefy 5-Layer Burrito.
Go ahead and see how wild you can get, you maniac.
"We're just getting started."
Check out one of our newest videos right here!
Plus, even more Mashed videos about your favorite fast food chains are coming soon.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.