Taco Bell Fans Will ‘Throw a Fit’ if Test Item Doesn’t Get National Release

It’s not uncommon for fast food chains to test out menu items in select markets before rolling out the new food item to a larger swath of their fans, gauging reactions during their limited-time runs to perfect it or scrap it altogether.

Though the time between test runs and larger rollouts can vary, Taco Bell fans are getting impatient for a national release of the menu item from a test run that happened only a few months ago.

🍳🍔 SIGN UP to get delicious recipes, handy kitchen hacks & fun food news in our daily Pop Kitchen newsletter 🍳🍔

Back in October, Taco Bell debuted chicken al pastor street chalupas, which combined cantina slow-roasted chicken “with chiles and a hint of pineapple, wrapped in two cheesy, street-sized Quesalupa-inspired shells, topped with onion and cilantro,” according to a press release from the chain.

The test, which began Oct. 31 in Minneapolis, offered the menu item for $4.99 at participating restaurants in the region. After popular food blogger Snackolator reported on Jan. 24 that a new test of the street chalupas is currently going on “in at least Georgia,” fans begged for a national release.

“I need a dozen of these immediately - they look and sound amazing,” the food influencer said on Instagram, and fans agreed.

“NEED THESE NOW,” said one fan, while another commented, “I need these in my life. 🙌.” A third wrote in, “If these don’t go nationwide i will throw a fit.”

“The steak ones were FIRE so I cannot wait to try these ones!!!!!” said one commenter, and another was on the same page, writing, “Street tacos were literally the best thing to ever get put on the Taco Bell menu and I only got them like 3 times 😢.”

One fan had a lot to say about the test item, sharing their experience in the test market in the comments. “We had these in MN as the test market for about 1.5 months. In some locations it was called Al Pastor, others it was Sweet Chilé Pork, but the same item otherwise. Much like the earlier street chalupas that were rolled out over last summer, these are amazing and one of TB’s most underrated releases of last year,” they wrote.

They did have one somewhat negative take on the menu item, noting, “I will say, if you get a batch made off-peak or with little care, they can be stale and chewy, but I only had that happen one time at a semi-rural location.”

Next: Taco Bell's Reported New Dessert Collab Is Like a Birthday Present for Churro Fans