TurboMinivan
Still plays with cars
- Location
- Lehi, UT
Background:
I have always preferred eating Del Taco over Taco Bell. Del Taco seems to be higher quality food, and I thought it definitely tastes better. Nevertheless, I used to go to Taco Bell much more often than I would go to Del Taco. Taco Bell just seemed to corner that whole 'cheap fast food Mexican' market. Perhaps I was just satisfying my inner stoner, who knows.
Then in Sept 2019, Taco Bell announced they were dropping 9 items from their menu... and two of them were my favorite Taco Bell items. Wow, really? I was hurt. I vowed then and there to stop going to Taco Bell, period. And I did. Whenever anyone around me even mentioned that restaurant, I simply replied, "Taco Bell is dead to me."
We didn't know it then, but that was just the first round of Taco Bell's menu deletion. In August 2020, TB dropped another 12 items off their menu... and then in November 2020 they dropped 4 more items from the menu. I commented on social media about it, and also pointed out that it didn't really matter to me since I had already sworn them off and clearly I wasn't about to go back now. Why would I?
Fast forward to yesterday.
I get home from work, and my wife mentions she had lunch at Taco Bell. She had ordered their $7 box thingy--I've seen it mentioned in commercials, so I knew what she was talking about even if I didn't know the exact items it contained--and she told me she felt it was a decent amount of food for the money. I know Del Taco has a few similar 'box deals' (which I'm sure they introduced to compete with TB), and I mentioned them as we talked. As our conversation ended, I was suddenly in the mood for one of those Del Taco boxed meals. I decided I would get one on the way to work tomorrow.
I make good on my promise and stop by Del Taco on my way to work today even though I'm very short on time. When I walked inside, there was no line; I immediately stepped up to the counter. As the kid greets me, I glance up at the menu and am shocked: it is entirely different and new compared to my last visit. Sure, every so often restaurants will freshen their image with new photos of menu items and so on, but this is different--the entire organization and layout has changed. I'm looking back and forth and I realize all the box meals are gone. "Whoa, stuff is missing," I say. The kid replies, "yeah, we no longer sell a few things such as medium drinks, medium fries, and so on." Drinks and fries are now only small or large? Okay, I can accept that--it's simple consolidation. But the boxes are gone. Hmm. I don't have time to think much about it, so I switch to Plan B and look for the combo meal with stuffed quesadilla tacos (which are my favorite Del Taco item). They're gone, too. I re-scan the menu again, but it sinks in: the bastards have taken away my stuffed quesadilla tacos. Again, I have no time to argue about it... so I just order another combo meal.
The dilemma:
As I'm sitting there eating, it suddenly hits me. The entire reason I swore off Taco Bell five years ago was because they removed my favorite items from their menu. Now I see Del Taco has just done the same thing. Does that mean I now need to stop eating here? It seems only fair, right? But then what do I do? From word of mouth and other commercials, I've heard Taco Bell has supposedly brought back some of their deleted menu items (though I don't know which ones). Do I go back there and see what they now offer?
I'm really torn about the whole situation.
I have always preferred eating Del Taco over Taco Bell. Del Taco seems to be higher quality food, and I thought it definitely tastes better. Nevertheless, I used to go to Taco Bell much more often than I would go to Del Taco. Taco Bell just seemed to corner that whole 'cheap fast food Mexican' market. Perhaps I was just satisfying my inner stoner, who knows.
Then in Sept 2019, Taco Bell announced they were dropping 9 items from their menu... and two of them were my favorite Taco Bell items. Wow, really? I was hurt. I vowed then and there to stop going to Taco Bell, period. And I did. Whenever anyone around me even mentioned that restaurant, I simply replied, "Taco Bell is dead to me."
We didn't know it then, but that was just the first round of Taco Bell's menu deletion. In August 2020, TB dropped another 12 items off their menu... and then in November 2020 they dropped 4 more items from the menu. I commented on social media about it, and also pointed out that it didn't really matter to me since I had already sworn them off and clearly I wasn't about to go back now. Why would I?
Fast forward to yesterday.
I get home from work, and my wife mentions she had lunch at Taco Bell. She had ordered their $7 box thingy--I've seen it mentioned in commercials, so I knew what she was talking about even if I didn't know the exact items it contained--and she told me she felt it was a decent amount of food for the money. I know Del Taco has a few similar 'box deals' (which I'm sure they introduced to compete with TB), and I mentioned them as we talked. As our conversation ended, I was suddenly in the mood for one of those Del Taco boxed meals. I decided I would get one on the way to work tomorrow.
I make good on my promise and stop by Del Taco on my way to work today even though I'm very short on time. When I walked inside, there was no line; I immediately stepped up to the counter. As the kid greets me, I glance up at the menu and am shocked: it is entirely different and new compared to my last visit. Sure, every so often restaurants will freshen their image with new photos of menu items and so on, but this is different--the entire organization and layout has changed. I'm looking back and forth and I realize all the box meals are gone. "Whoa, stuff is missing," I say. The kid replies, "yeah, we no longer sell a few things such as medium drinks, medium fries, and so on." Drinks and fries are now only small or large? Okay, I can accept that--it's simple consolidation. But the boxes are gone. Hmm. I don't have time to think much about it, so I switch to Plan B and look for the combo meal with stuffed quesadilla tacos (which are my favorite Del Taco item). They're gone, too. I re-scan the menu again, but it sinks in: the bastards have taken away my stuffed quesadilla tacos. Again, I have no time to argue about it... so I just order another combo meal.
The dilemma:
As I'm sitting there eating, it suddenly hits me. The entire reason I swore off Taco Bell five years ago was because they removed my favorite items from their menu. Now I see Del Taco has just done the same thing. Does that mean I now need to stop eating here? It seems only fair, right? But then what do I do? From word of mouth and other commercials, I've heard Taco Bell has supposedly brought back some of their deleted menu items (though I don't know which ones). Do I go back there and see what they now offer?
I'm really torn about the whole situation.
