When you’re an established company, there’s not a lot you can do to change up the public perception of you. By the time you become something nationally known, you’re kind of stuck being who you are. Sure you can add Doritos to the shells and try your hand at breakfast, but once you get known for your dollar menu, rolling out more expensive fare won’t really help your business. That’s the problem Taco Bell is facing; with Chipotle and other fast casual Mexican places nipping at their heels, the Bell has come up with a novel solution for competing with Chipotle: start a new business. Taco Bell will be starting a spin-off company called the U.S. Taco Co. and Urban Taproom.
“We could spend time and money trying to get these people interested in Taco Bell, but they would probably never become regular customers,” said Taco Bell CEO Greg Creed to Ad Age. “We thought, maybe there’s a new brand we can create to address this opportunity.”
The menu is going to be taco-based, but it will be inspired by various American regions (a Southern-themed taco will have fried chicken, there will be a lobster taco, a cheesesteak taco, and so on). Another fun addition: alcohol! Specifically, beer milkshakes, like a “Mexican Car Bomb” with Guinness, vanilla ice cream, tequila caramel sauce, and chocolate flakes. The first U.S. Taco Co will open on the west coast, and hopefully once it takes off there, it’ll spread across the country. I’d definitely be interested in trying it.
Tags: us taco company, us taco co, taco bell, greg creed, us taco co and urban taproom, taco bell to start fast casual restaurant, fast causal restaurant from taco bell, taco bell to launch u.s. taco co. and urban taproom, restaurants, fast food
