Taco Bell introducing more upscale menu items
By BRUCE SCHREINER The Associated Press June 6, 2012 8:32PM
This Wednesday, June 6, 2012, photo shows a Taco Bell restaurant in Richmond, Va. The chain said it plans an early July rollout of a menu addition created by celebrity chef Lorena Garcia for its nearly 5,600 U.S. restaurants. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
Updated: July 8, 2012 6:59PM
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Taco Bell, often a late-night indulgence with its inexpensive fare, is going more upscale.
The chain said Wednesday it plans an early July rollout of a menu addition created by celebrity chef Lorena Garcia for its nearly 5,600 U.S. restaurants. New items feature ingredients such as black beans, cilantro rice, citrus- and herb-marinated chicken and cilantro dressing.
The introduction of items that Taco Bell executive Brian Niccol described as “gourmet Mexican” is a venture onto the turf of casual-dining chains such as Chipotle Mexican Grill and Qdoba Mexican Grill known for higher-quality ingredients.
It’s a departure from such standards as tacos, burritos and chalupas that Taco Bell’s core young-adult customers crave and that will remain mainstays on menu boards.
Introduction of the Cantina Burrito Bowl and Cantina Burrito is part of the chain’s transformation as its customers increasingly look for more than a quick bite on the go, said Niccol, Taco Bell’s chief marketing and innovation officer.
He credits Garcia, who will appear on Bravo’s “Top Chef Masters” show this summer, as the force behind the Cantina Bell menu that the chain expects to eventually expand.
“She brought a lot of new thinking, a lot of fresh approaches to our ingredients that change the flavor profile of the brand,” Niccol said.
The additions going nationwide July 5 take a bigger bite out of the wallet, but the newcomers also are bigger than the chain’s regular burritos. The Cantina Burrito Bowl and Cantina Burrito, offered with chicken or steak, will sell for nearly $5 apiece. A vegetarian option will be offered, also for nearly $5.
Side dishes include chips and pico de gallo or corn salsa, chips and guacamole or black beans and rice. Each will sell for $1.49.
The goal is to give regular customers more choices and to lure new business.
Niccol acknowledged that the push for quality will draw some skepticism. So the chain said it will refund customers or offer them replacement items if they don’t like the new Cantina Bell dishes. The refund or replacement is a long-standing company policy, but now the chain is publicizing it.
“Our experience has been when they try it, nobody’s returning them,” he said.
The new items were tested for months in Louisville and Bakersfield and Fresno, Calif. The results included improved lunch and dinner business along with an uptick in women customers, he said.
The company will put more than $20 million of TV and digital marketing into the first month or so of the rollout, Niccol said.
