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Oh my! Taco Bell testing cupcakes & smoothies
October 7th, 2009, 9:01 pm · 75 Comments · posted by Nancy Luna, Staff Writer
Thanks to readers Scott, Lisana and Julie for tipping me off to a major new food experiment happening at Taco Bell.
The Irvine-based chain has installed a juice bar in fast-food restaurants in Buena Park and Tustin and has added a large display of mini-snacks and desserts, including $1.29 red velvet cupcakes. The juice bar offers smoothies and Wendy’s-inspired shakes.
Chain officials, who routinely refuse to discuss “test” products, did not return emails and calls when asked about the menu changes. In a conference call with investors Wednesday, Yum Chief executive David Novak hinted that a “pipeline of new products” were coming in 2010. Yum is the parent company of Taco Bell, KFC and Pizza Hut.
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- The dessert display case is near the cash registers.
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- Signs posted outside promote 7 new Juice Bar drinks
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- The Juice Bar is part of this Taco Bell's makeover in Tustin. Free Wi-Fi is also available here.
In fliers mailed to residents near Buena Park and Tustin, Taco Bell lists the following new items: Crispy Mini Empanadas, Atomic Bacon Bombers, Warm Stuft Cookies, Dulce Dippers, Cheesy Churro Fries, Mini Churros and Jalapeno Cheesy Bread.
I stopped by the Tustin Market Place Taco Bell (3010 El Camino Real) on Wednesday afternoon to get a look-see.
I spotted the above-named desserts and snacks, ranging in price from 99 cents to $1.29. While it was startling to see these items arranged in a pint-size display case, I was even more shocked to see the new Juice Bar.
The Juice Bar is part of this Taco Bell's makeover. Free Wi-Fi is also available at this store.
A section of the cashier area has been reconfigured to include a built-in Juice Bar with a separate menu that includes a new line of smoothies and a frozen shake-like beverage dubbed Frostbites. The latter comes in Double Chocolate or Caramel Crunch flavors. (Prices range from $2.69 to $3.59)
Since Taco Bell declined to comment on the new products, I can only guess that the juice bar is an extension of the chain’s Frutista drinks. The frozen slush beverages have performed well for the chain.
First impression: I ordered a few items while I was there, including the Warm Stuft Cookies (chocolate), two cupcakes (vanilla and red velvet) and a medium Strawberry Banana smoothie. Unfortunately, the cashier messed up my order, and when I got back to the office, the cookies were MIA! (In his defense, I think he was bit flustered. During my visit, I’m pretty sure some Taco Bell corporate executives were there inspecting the remodeled store.)
Frutistas taste so good; smoothies not so much
The smoothie & cupcakes: I’m a big Frutista fan, so I was hopeful that the Strawberry Banana smoothie would be good. It wasn’t. There was no trace of banana in it, and the strawberry flavor tasted very artificial. I’d rather pay $1 more and get a real good smoothie at Juice it Up or Jamba Juice.
Things got worse with the cupcakes. I cut them up, and shared them with my co-workers, all of whom gasped when I told them the treats were from Taco Bell. One co-worker said, “Is the frosting beef-flavored?”
I don’t think so, but maybe it should have been laced with something. I took one bite and shivered because the frosting was super rich and sugary. “The frosting is there to cover up the dry cake,” one self-proclaimed cheapskate editor said.
Still one reporter, who will eat anything with frosting, proclaimed her support after one bite from the vanilla: “They must be getting them from Sprinkles.”
Tell us: So there you have it. Taco Bell is getting into the dessert and smoothie business. Crazy? Clever? Write in and give me and Taco Bell your feedback.
Taco Bell test locations: 10010 Valley View St in Buena Park and 3010 El Camino Real, Tustin. (If you know of any more, write in and let us know.)
Related stories:
- Yum posts 18% 3rd quarter profit on overseas sales; domestic fast-food chains still slumping (AP & Restaurant Reality Check blog)
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IMO there has been no local ff or sit down restaurant or even bakery,that has gotten the red velvet cupcake right! Not surprised about your coworkers’ negative review.
They are also starting a new Black Jack Taco tomorrow.
The Black Jack Taco sounds amazing…I love pepper jack cheese! Also, the Fully Loaded Nachos also sound amazing.
I believe The Mix at Tustin is more geared towards testing their new products to see which ones do better. So obviously, if everyone despises the cupcakes, they would no proceed with that as a viable product.
What do smoothies and cupcakes have to do with Mexican food? Taco Bell should stick to Mexican food. Thats what their customers want.
Imagine if Krispy Kreme started selling burritos
If their customers wanted Mexican food, they wouldn’t be hitting the Taco Bell drive thru.
As for red velvet cupcakes… Try Macy’s in South Coast Plaza.
They wouldn’t be hitting Taco Bell…Ha ha ha ha ha!
LOL!! So true boscoh
The Mini Churros, the one time I tried them, were chewy, when I was expecting crispy, and tasted stale. Other than that… I’ll be curious to see if the dizzying array of new menu choices doesn’t slow down the order and wait times, which are already bad at the recently remodeled Tustin Market Place Taco Bell.
That’s too weird.
Why would a mexican fast food place sell cup cakes? Now, if they sold some pan dulce like Conchas or empanadas…then maybe. There’s nothing ‘mexican’ about red velvet cup cakes and slurpees.
Desperate attempt for a greater marketshare? Perhaps they should follow Del Taco and do 3 tacos for $1.09 on tuesdays.
yea empanadas! now that would make more sense. or Buñuelos. mmmm
If I read it correctly it looks to me like Nancy’s article DOES mention empanadas.
This review of Taco Bell is about as relevant as reviewing a local AM/PM Mini Mart and reviewing the $1.00 Hamburger, $2.00 Double Cheeseburge and the 2 for $1.00 Hot Dogs. Taco Bell is to Food as Sweet and Lo is to Cane Sugar. Taco Bells attempt at offering a food product has significant problems - It doesn’t look, smell, feel and most importantly TASTE like the actual food, let alone Mexican Food.
Is it fair to assume you don’t think much of Taco Bell’s legions of happy customers?
I visited the Taco Bell web page about 3 weeks ago and the page was featureing chili cheese fries, when I went back laterr to show my wife it was gone, anybody else see this or hear anything about it?
I saw a few years ago that the Taco Bell in Lake Forest on Rockford was selling fries.
BRING BACK THE BELL-BEEFER..meat, lettuce, cheese, etc on a hamburg bun.
I TOTALLY AGREE! Loved those!
My hubby would totally agree with you.
That was years ago, he loved them!
Thanks for bringing back a great memory.
Oh.. and the Enchurito too!
Hank: They will make the Enchurito if you request it!
in GODS name Why? Where’s the Fish Taco’s ? The Shrimp Burrito’s? the Carna Asada Value Meal?The Faita Familt Pack? test that Schiznit Taco Hole! cupcakes? Smoovies? why not french fries nobody has thoses…in this Economy? Sheeez. Fire your trend setters and send them back to college.come on …….make run for El Pollo Loco.
They did test fish tacos before.
Nice to see this chain is helping the obesity epidemic by offering more healthful choices.
What a dumb comment… Nevertheless, it’s on a fast food blog. Sure, fast food makes you obese, but it was your decision to eat it in the first place. If you can’t say “no,” don’t blame the fast food industry.
There’s no way that cupcakes from Taco Bell would taste good. The cupcakes would have to absorb the smells of the other food in the restaurant. Gross!
Exactly right.
You guys must mean, TACO BELLY ACHE.
See you on the toilet.
It is odd that Taco Bell would test these items in Tustin. However, remember that Taco Bell is every where. Meaning they are sometimes the only fast food place or even restaurant in many towns across the U.S. “Fancy” cupcakes may play well in Colma, Nebraska… etc.
I fell sorry for anyone that thinks Taco Bell is Mexican food! Just so you know, Flour tortillas should not feel like rubber when you try to eat them!
If you want ” Mexican ” food, I suggest you travel to Whittier and try
Puffy Taco! 15693 Leffingwell Rd. Now thats Real Mexican Food! Belive me it’s worth the trip!
Or in Anaheim ” Los Sanchez ” On Orangethorpe near Euclid. Try the Tortilla soup, YUMMY! The best Mexican food is only found at small family owned restaurants.
“I feel sorry for anyone that thinks Taco Bell is Mexican food!”
Here we go again: Somebody has to jump in and talk about how the place that the article is about “isn’t real Mexican food.” We all know Taco Bell is the fakest of the fake and they don’t claim otherwise themselves. They only claim to be “Mexican-inspired” so they do live up to what they claim for themselves even if they don’t live up to the false ideas others have for them; but for many people across the country Taco Bell is the first place they get any idea of Mexican food from and often they are way more accessible and conveniently located than a small, family-run restaurant.
I have heard that Puffy Taco is quite good though.
@ christian:
I understand what your saying about ” Mexican-inspired” and conveniently located! But if that’s the first place some people get ideas of what mexican food is,
Well thats just SAD!
If you take a trip across this great country you’d realize this isn’t so surprising. Most of this country (the area, not population) is rural and small towns. Usually these small towns and rural area have either Dairy Queen, Taco Bell, McDonald’s, or Subway. If your town is “lucky” you have all four.
Steve said just what I would’ve said. In Orange County we have a much better idea of what makes Mexican food “authentic” but even then there are still very many conflicting ideas. I know because I ask people all the time and I get wildly different answers, and that’s when I even get an answer; sometimes people don’t know how to explain it at all except that they know they want to show what a connoisseur they are by attacking the easiest target out there: Taco Bell.
I don’t see Taco Bell as anything more than they are. They are clearly at the bottom of the authenticity totem pole. But I still see them as being way more Mexican then Panda Express.
Free with every purchase: INSTANT DIARRHEA
No thats Kogi,lol
The whole remodeling of Taco Bell is bizarre to me. I live down the street from one going through the renovations to make it look like a real restaurant. I don’t go to Taco Bell for a fine dining experience. And I think the idea of cupcakes and smoothies are a bit unnecessary, haha. Are they still competing with Del Taco? Because as far as I know, Del still has painted confetti on their walls and no fancy lights.
Oh, I almost forgot to tell you to bring extra wipes………….
isnt the taco bell on Rockfield in Lake Forest a Test Taco bell? I have not been since they did the buffalo chicken burrito and I think newport blvd at 17th is too because they have things other taco bells do not have
“isnt the taco bell on Rockfield in Lake Forest a Test Taco bell?”
Yes, it is one of several around here. More are listed here:
http://ocmexfood.blogspot.com/2009/05/taco-bell-authentic-tacos.html
Not just a test Taco Bell, but the BEST Taco Bell. No joke. I love this location. Never had a stale tortilla here (major problem at most other locations). Food is always hot and I swear it tastes better. And yes, they test all sorts of things here first. Surprised they don’t have the cupcakes…
I too cannot understand why they cant give people what they want to buy?………..bring back the bellbeefer you idiots!
Eric, don’t you really mean, why can’t they give you what you want?
Uhhmmmm, I LOVE Cupcakes, but I am sure they wont taste as good as my Delicious Moist Cupcakes, with Bourbon Vanilla Butter Cream Frosting, but I’ll give them a try anyway.
Gotta laugh at people who give their opinion of food before even trying it. That’s ok, Taco Bell doesn’t need you as a customer. Stay at home and eat your lard filled cupcakes with the greasy frosting, as you sit at your home computer. And stop eating at your computer at work, ok?
Taco bell actually has fries, but in Canada. Anything that comes with nachos is replaced with fries. The fries supreme…AWESOME!
The stuff that is served at Taco Bell is “food” only in the sense that people put it in their mouths and chew it. Cupcakes and juice bars cannot alter this fact.
I’ve tried the smoothies and I’m not kidding, they taste JUST like Jamba Juice - they’re really good! It’s nice that they have something semi-healthy there, and it’s drive-through! The only problem is I went to look for it at the Taco Bell by my work and that location didn’t have it.
This looks like a cool idea. It’s not gonna work though, when i go to taco bell im just looking for some cheap eats, nothing extra like cupcakes or juices. Kinda crazy. I actually like Del Taco more.
I got some free coupons for the new stuff they had on their menu so i decided to give them a try. I had the jalapeno poppers and their dulce dippers. Their jalapeno peppers were no bueno. The crust was way to thick and the filling lacked flavor.
On the other hand, the dulce dippers were awesome! They tasted just like the zeppoles i used to get in New York with the powdered sugar and the right amount of crispiness on the outside. They come with either a chocolate dip or a caramel dip but they tasted so much better on their own.
Personally, I loved the Bellbeafer hamburgers — what happened to those?
Way to keep up with the news OCR. This stuff has been on sale for the last few weeks.
They have not yet cloned Ms. Luna, therefore she’s doing a more than reasonable job covering the ENTIRE county of 800 square miles and literally thousands of restaurants.
Yeah, these products are only available at 2 of the Taco Bells in the entire county, and they didn’t advertise them until this past week, and even then only to local residents (I live about 5 minutes from the Tustin location). Also, as Nancy noted above, Yum not only didn’t let her know about the new products, they didn’t respond when she requested more info after she already knew about them.
She’s a journalist, not psychic.
Clone me? That would be so helpful.
It’s funny you say that since I’ve only gotten the flier for the new items on Monday, not weeks ago.
Hunter — I know the remodel in Tustin was complete a few weeks ago, so perhaps that is what you are talking about. All I know, is this is news to me and many others, who brought it to my attention this week when the fliers came out.
Nation’s Restaurant News, the restaurant industry’s leading trade publication, followed my story today on the cupcakes. Headline: “Taco Bell dodges cupcake report.”
“Officials declined to comment when asked details about new foods cited in a post at fastfoodmaven.com, a blog by Orange County Register staffer Nancy Luna.”
How can they decline to talk about something that is clearly out there for public consumption? They did the same thing when OCMEX blog reported about the “authentic taco” sighting. I asked them about these products, and the PR team said they are NOT allowed to talk about product testing.
http://www.nrn.com/article.aspx?id=374196
Taco Bell had it right a year ago when they realized people go there for cheap eats - nothing more.
Last I checked the economy hasn’t gotten any better, so why are they raising prices and adding a bunch of nonsensical items that don’t fit in with their brand at all? If I wanted some small snacks that were obviously not made onsite or a cool icy drink, I’d go to 7-11.
I go to Taco Bell because I can get out of there for under $5. If I stop going there, it’s because they keep sneaking up the prices of the items I like or because they stopped carrying the items that were good. (Please bring back the chicken enchiladas from last year!)
There’s no value add to having a juice bar or a bunch of random baked goods. (Heck, why is there a juice bar at all? The few times I’ve eaten inside any Taco Bell, it’s been near empty, even at heavy lunch hours. It’s not like I’m going to go - Well, I was going to just drive through on my way back to work, but, hey, I could pour my own juice drink! Now I’m going to stop and go in!)
And all of these stupid structural additons are going to cost the stores that need to remodel money, which is then going to drive prices up, thus defeating the only thing Taco Bell has going for it. Good job, guys!
The cupcakes do seem odd, but again, they aren’t just in the SoCal market, they might know something we don’t know about their demographic. And as for the juice, if I’m not mistaken their existing juice drinks (I can’t remember their names, but the drinks with strawberries, etc) sell well. Perhaps they saw an opportunity there. Maybe Nancy could confirm or dispute whether their existing juice drinks (before this juice bar) sell well.
I can understand expanding the juice drink line up. I’m just objecting to the infrastructure of adding a juice bar.
Steve, I think I did address this as best I could in the graf below:
“Since Taco Bell declined to comment on the new products, I can only guess that the juice bar is an extension of the chain’s Frutista drinks. The frozen slush beverages have performed well for the chain.”
Indeed you did. My apologies.
Yes! I have been hoping that Taco bell would add some desserts-they really need them! Smoothies will be a welcome sight as well. My kids love Taco Bell, and this will make them very happy.
They already had caramel apple empanadas.
I heard TB is going to start offering Cool-a-Coo ice cream sandwiches, too..lol!
Long live the BellBeefer!
I think it’s an attempt to rustle up some business in the after school hours. It’s like a ‘Radio Disney’ version of Starbucks serving sugary drinks and snacks at a low price.
I think Taco Bell have lost their way! Starbucks did this by branching out to sell lots of other product and took their eye off the ball, i.e. their core business and look where that got them. I have to say the cupcakes at TB look really uninviting. I’m no expert on cupcakes but they look ‘manky’ and not at all what I’d want to eat. Good point made re all the other pseudo Mexican offering they could be doing…do you think have they looked at McD and seen that they sell the ‘odd bits of nothing’ on the side, and are trying to copy them? I don’t think McD have got it right with their ‘extras’ either. Stay true to the core products.
I do like McDonald’s cookies…(some made, by the way, in O.C.)
I rarely go to McDonald’s (mostly because I try to eat healthy, but I really do love it), but when I do, I will usually get a chocolate chip cookie or a fruit & yogurt parfait. Their desserts are pretty good!
Those cupcakes look like the ones I just made! They need to hire a pastry chef to spruce them up to Sprinkles standards if they want this to work!
I had one of their chocolate milkshake things at the Tustin location on Thursday. Similar experience to Nancy’s. The milkshake thing was nasty - artificial, sticky-sweet, and stuffed to the gills with little chocolate chunks? crumbles? shavings? that I can only describe as “chocolate flavored crayon.” It was bad enough that I wouldn’t recommend it even if you do have the freebie coupon, and I’m discouraged from using the rest of my coupons for the other stuff. (This blog post confirms my good judgment.)
The clearly distracted and harried crew botched my order badly, as well as - I noticed - a couple other orders that were placed around the same time. It was painfully obvious that some of them weren’t familiar with the new offerings, and were having a hard time integrating the operation of the new juice bar with their other duties.
And what is with that remodel? What are they SMOKING? It’s ugly, cluttered, confusing, and trendy enough to be hopelessly dated in 6 months. It bears no resemblance to any concept of a Taco Bell I’ve ever imagined (no logos anywhere, BTW). They’ve got a system of TV monitors spewing promotional crap in surprisingly inconspicuous locations, which is fine because you can’t hear them anyway - a mighty big cash outlay for something that’s having zero effect. They seem to have lost seating capacity with all the new froufrou, and the seats that are left are even MORE uncomfortable than the ones they used in their last remodeling spasm - and that’s saying something. The drink fountain is no longer in the dining area, so you have to ask at the counter for a refill. And the trays don’t fit on the new teensy weensy tables!
In short, it looks like they charged forward with this with no regard to operational efficiency, guest comfort or brand identity. I’m gonna guess that one day several months ago at the TB HQ there was a marketing meeting entitled “What Are We Going to Do to Compete With These Damn McCafes” and things just got WAY out of hand. I hope the franchisees will stand their ground on this one, cause corporate has lost their minds.
I have been to the Buena Park location and I know our location is doing a little better than the other. Some of the items are actually very good, when well managed by a responsible team.
The aim for the remodel was to pretty much make it feel like a local hang out and less like a Taco Bell. I am not promoting this new concept of “The Mix” or marking it down either. Just staying neutral. I have not personally seen the Tustin location but I know it was not doing so well especially with the concept of not having a soda fountain in the dining room. HORRIBLE IDEA. This is all just a big test that I must personally say is failing. Don’t get me wrong, this was a GREAT idea, on paper. But in reality, high hopes just fell short.
the warm cookies are the bomb! And, what’s with all these cool toys lately at Taco Bell? First they had thumb wrestlers for your fingers and now they have cool toys called BellHedz. I know Taco Bell isn’t real Mexican food but I LOVE it anyways! There’s nothing a good ole crunch wrap can’t cure!
Can I just say…wat the heck?
I went to the Tustin Taco Bell yesterday after reading this article about the cupcakes. I’ve had a serious cupcake craving for awhile now, and I was super curious. I got a vanilla cupcake for 99 cents, and it tasted soooo good. I know Taco Bell food is kinda gross, but this was delicious. The frosting was buttercream, and there were chocolate shavings on top. The white cake was soft and slightly buttery. I’m going back tomorrow to try another flavor.