Taco Bell's 1/2-lb. burritos for $1.99

[Alex Linder]

This is a true scam of genius, genuinely beautiful in its simplicity.

Taco Bell earlier this year was pushing its "89c burritos."

Now it's pushing the exact same burritos as "1/2 pound burritos" for more than double the price.

Sheer genius!

[Alex Linder]

To round out the scam, TB is now pitching a nigger taco for 89 cents.

[BryanVP]

Are those the ones with watered down cheese, rice, and potatos? All that is definitely worth 3.99lb.

[BryanVP]

Nigger tacos are only 79 cents here.

[Alex Linder]

I'm telling you that, far as I can tell, the old burritos, which were fair value at .89c, if you were hungry at 2am and nothing else open, are EXACTLY THE SAME SIZE as the new half-pounders that cost $2 apiece.

[albion]

BLACK JACK TACO - 89c
http://www.tacobell.com/blackjacktaco/

Half Pounders
http://www.tacobell.com/halfpoundburritos/

All that greasy Mexican food makes Jack a dull boy.
http://iphonedocked.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/taco-bell-dog-741381.jpg

[Alex Linder]

Come on, I want someone to tell me I'm wrong, and prove it.

[OTPTT]

Come on, I want someone to tell me I'm wrong, and prove it.

So this is what? Taco Bellism you're promoting? Why don't you do the scientific experiments like weighing the products and get back with us on your findings? And why are you looking for a fight?

I don't eat out these days unless I"m on the road.

[Mike Parker]

"True genius, Mexican style."

YouTube - Flat bottom tacos

[Alex Linder]

So this is what? Taco Bellism you're promoting? Why don't you do the scientific experiments like weighing the products and get back with us on your findings? And why are you looking for a fight?

Um...because I don't give a shit? I'm not looking for a fight, I made an offhand observation that I think is true, but might be wrong. I'd be interested if someone has proof that the old .89c burritos (which i think are no longer offered) are in fact the exact same size/weight as the new 1.99 half-pounders.


I don't eat out these days unless I"m on the road.

That's very Jesuslike of you, and I'm sure will speak well when you and god are perusing the Giant Book of Tony's Weird Behavior on the day of judgment.

[Alex Linder]

"True genius, Mexican style."

No Mexican thought of that, I'd bet anything.

Our wildlife discussions elicited the fact that a hell of a lot of WN know nothing about economics and indeed exhibit a '30s-style commie boilerplate in denouncing evil predatory land-raping corporations.

Corporations, in my life time, taking the tiny example of tacos, have brought us

- shells that don't crumble

- shells that don't fall over.

Yeah, now, what has government done for us in that entire period?

Government has given us not a single improvement in our lives equal even to two tiny corporate improvements in taco shells.

Faith in Government 'n' his son Regulation is the real religion of our times, and goddam it is as dumb as jebooism, as baseless as jebooism, as ugly as jebooism.

[albion]

http://www.movieposter.com/posters/archive/main/55/MPW-27768

A Jew For Jebus (http://www.jewforjebus.com/)

[thomasdixonjr]

For a little money, white america can divorce themselves from the fast food culture. I never eat in an establishment that has nigger cooks or waitresses.

NEVER. Why take the risk of adulteration? Most chimps have it in for whites.

I cooked up some pork steak and small white beans from scratch, not light on the pork, and I can have meals for days. It cost me under five dollars.

So eat healthy at home, know exactly what is going into your food, and as a bonus save money.

Thos.

[Mike Parker]

YouTube- The Buzz: The Taco Bell diet?

As you know, the Drive-Thru Diet® menu is not a weight-loss program. It’s about making different choices. For me, I didn’t want to cut out my fast food so I started choosing Fresco items from the Drive-Thru Diet® menu and making other sensible choices. I reduced my daily calorie and fat intake by 500 calories to 1250 calories a day, and, after two years, I ended up losing 54pounds! These results aren’t typical, but for me they were fantastic!

http://drivethrudiet.com/christinesstory

[Mr Murray]

No Mexican thought of that, I'd bet anything.

Our wildlife discussions elicited the fact that a hell of a lot of WN know nothing about economics and indeed exhibit a '30s-style commie boilerplate in denouncing evil predatory land-raping corporations.

Corporations, in my life time, taking the tiny example of tacos, have brought us

- shells that don't crumble

- shells that don't fall over.

Yeah, now, what has government done for us in that entire period?

Government has given us not a single improvement in our lives equal even to two tiny corporate improvements in taco shells.

Faith in Government 'n' his son Regulation is the real religion of our times, and goddam it is as dumb as jebooism, as baseless as jebooism, as ugly as jebooism.

So why do you call the pricing of the "new" half pound taco a scam? Is the government forcing you to buy them? If it's overpriced take your business elsewhere.

[COTW]

Taco Bell earlier this year was pushing its "89c burritos."

Now it's pushing the exact same burritos as "1/2 pound burritos" for more than double the price.
So why do you call the pricing of the "new" half pound taco a scam?

It's fairly self evident why he's calling it a scam. Just because he's aware of it doesn't lessen the matter.

What if you noticed that a product you bought last week at the grocery store had new packaging this week with a big "New Value Size!" printed on it yet was actually 1 or 2 ounces less in weight and still the same price. Would you keep that information to yourself and quit buying it or would you tell everyone that you know that might have interest in that fact?

[Mr Murray]

It's fairly self evident why he's calling it a scam. Just because he's aware of it doesn't lessen the matter.

What if you noticed that a product you bought last week at the grocery store had new packaging this week with a big "New Value Size!" printed on it yet was actually 1 or 2 ounces less in weight and still the same price. Would you keep that information to yourself and quit buying it or would you tell everyone that you know that might have interest in that fact?

The 89 cent taco was a loss leader product.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loss_leader


Now that they've returned the price to a profitable level and used a little marketing to soften the blow you call that a "scam"???

Any free-marketeer/libertarian/no-regulation capitialist calling this a scam is a hypocrite. The sellers can set their price and the buyers can keep their wallets closed and walk away.

[COTW]

Fast food doesn't do loss leaders, that's grocery store marketing.

I haven't eaten at Taco Bell in years and when I did I stuck with the plain hard tacos; I hate all that sour cream crap in my food and all that brown mush.

Anyways, I assumed Alex knew what he was talking about and gave him the benefit of the doubt on this trivial issue. That is until now. I gave the Taco Bell website a visit and within seconds found out the difference between the two.

1/2 lb. Burrito $1.99
double portion beef, cheese sauce, tomatoes, sour cream, red strips(red peppers?) - in a tortilla

5 layer burrito $0.89
ground beef, beans, cheddar cheese, sour cream, nacho cheese sauce - in a tortilla

So there, scam debunked.

[Frank Toliver]

You assholes, now I want tacos.

[Mr Murray]

Fast food doesn't do loss leaders, that's grocery store marketing.

Eh?

Never heard of the "Burger Wars (http://www.thefreelibrary.com/MCDONALD%27S+ON+VERGE+OF+STARTING+BURGER+WAR.%28News%29-a083857463)" then?

McDonald's plans to take a big bite Big Bite out of the Big Mac's price.

If the majority of the company's franchisees approve the new promotion today, prices of Big Macs and several other sandwiches could drop to 55 cents each for anyone who buys any size fries and a drink, too.

That could spark a price war among fast-food chains, reminiscent of the feeding frenzy caused by Taco Bell's introduction of its low-pricing menu in the late 1980s.

Although fries and drinks have higher profit margins that will offset the loss leader, a high sales volume is critical.

[John in Woodbridge]

You assholes, now I want tacos.

Ha ha ha. Where I live there is a restaurant chain called Chipolte that makes gourmet burritos. They cost about $6.50 but one is a whole meal or a meal and half with all quality ingredrients. I like picking up from there but the line no matter what time of the day is all the way around the restaurant.

[COTW]

Eh?

Never heard of the "Burger Wars (http://www.thefreelibrary.com/MCDONALD%27S+ON+VERGE+OF+STARTING+BURGER+WAR.%28News%29-a083857463)" then?
An exception does not make the rule, Mr Murray.

[MikeTodd]

I like picking up from there but the line no matter what time of the day is all the way around the restaurant. I like Chipotle too, John.
I like going there between six and eight in the evening, it's when the girls from the small, private university in the nieghborhood like to take their meals there.
That's a line I don't mind standing in.:D

[Dan Allan]

Sometimes it works the other way. For a long time McDonalds had a cheeseburger for 99 cents and a double burger for $1. For an extra penny you get twice as much meat and cheese. I think they changed it now to $1.25 for the double, I almost never eat there anymore. Those dollar double cheeseburgers fueled many pot-smoking afternoons for me when I was younger and stupider. :o

[Mr Murray]

Sometimes it works the other way.

Your right. Back in the eighties I used to work in central London for a chain of photographic shops. I used to go out for lunch to McDonalds on a regular basis.

Then they started the price war to hammer the competition and the queues got twice as long and getting a seat became difficult. Sure I could get a take away an eat it in the shops store room but I wanted to get away for an hour.

So I started eating more in Burger King and Wimpy's even though it was more expensive becuase the crowds were much thinner.

[George Witzgall]

You assholes, now I want tacos.

damn taco-lover, now I want assholes.

[Kind Lampshade Maker]

Onion rings come close. Otherwise, you'd have to order those deep fried squid slices which are first coated in batter

[Dan Allan]

damn taco-lover, now I want assholes.
http://www.definitivejux.net/files/u3/cream_of_fish_assholes_1.jpg

[John in Woodbridge]

I like Chipotle too, John.
I like going there between six and eight in the evening, it's when the girls from the small, private university in the nieghborhood like to take their meals there.
That's a line I don't mind standing in.:D

That's funny. When I was standing in line there I think maybe only 20 percent of the patrons where white. Where I live is majority non-white though.

[Alex Linder]

1/2 lb. Burrito $1.99
double portion beef, cheese sauce, tomatoes, sour cream, red strips(red peppers?) - in a tortilla

5 layer burrito $0.89
ground beef, beans, cheddar cheese, sour cream, nacho cheese sauce - in a tortilla

So there, scam debunked.

I haven't gone to TB since my original post. Perhaps they have returned the .89c burrito, which was a good deal. I used the term scam loosely, not legally.

I still say, based on the two half-pounders I ordered months ago, they did not seem any larger than the .89c burritos. They can say X burrito officially weights Y, but it comes down to the preparer how much he puts into it.

[COTW]

...I still say, based on the two half-pounders I ordered months ago, they did not seem any larger than the .89c burritos. They can say X burrito officially weights Y, but it comes down to the preparer how much he puts into it.
True, an order of fries can vary a great deal. Plenty of people get ripped off in that case.

[Alex Linder]

True, an order of fries can vary a great deal. Plenty of people get ripped off in that case.

You know what, I"m going out and get one of these. I have an ancient scale that will report the truth, within a fraction of an ounce.

[Alex Linder]

The matter is now SETTLED. Not only was I right...

...I was UNDER-right!

Very exciting stuff.

I bought two .89 (actually .99 here in the 'ville) burritos, and I asked the guy.

Those 1/2-lb burritos for 1.89 - it's a brilliant marketing move / scam. The "special deal" .89c burritos actually weigh MORE than the 1.89 do! I weighed both mine, they both check in slightly over 6/10ths of a pound.

So once again we see, trust your own eyes. They rarely lie. Marketers, by contrast, attempt to deceive around the clock.

[odin]

Fast food doesn't do loss leaders, that's grocery store marketing. Burger King franchise owners are currently suing the corporate office for forcing them to sell the dollar double cheeseburger. They claim the ingredients alone cost $1.18. Corporate says it's a loss leader and the franchisees will make back their loss from the massive mark-up on soft drinks. Franchisees say too many people come in and buy a bag full of double cheeseburgers and nothing else, so they are losing money. :D

[Alex Linder]

I can also say that these new five-layer .89c burritos are...not very good. Little meat in them, mostly beans and yicky sour cream.

[Mr Murray]

Linder. You haven't explained how, what is obviously a loss leader, gets classified by you as a "scam". What happened to all your free market beliefs?

[Donnie in Ohio]

Burger King franchise owners are currently suing the corporate office for forcing them to sell the dollar double cheeseburger. They claim the ingredients alone cost $1.18. Corporate says it's a loss leader and the franchisees will make back their loss from the massive mark-up on soft drinks. Franchisees say too many people come in and buy a bag full of double cheeseburgers and nothing else, so they are losing money. :D



It is also no secret in the fast-food world that the Burger King is queer.

Over 40, no Burger Queen, no Burger heirs, and he wears a robe and knee-britches in public. :D

I'll take a sack of White Castles myself.

[MikeTodd]

It is also no secret in the fast-food world that the Burger King is queer.

Over 40, no Burger Queen, no Burger heirs, and he wears a robe and knee-britches in public. :D
http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/1797/theburgerking.jpg (http://img684.imageshack.us/i/theburgerking.jpg/)
Ya gotta admit the dude is pretty freakin' creepy!

I'll take a sack of White Castles myself."Uh...lemme have...four double cheese...regular onion chips...an'...oh yeah, throw in an order of clamstrips":D

[Donnie in Ohio]

http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/1797/theburgerking.jpg (http://img684.imageshack.us/i/theburgerking.jpg/)
Ya gotta admit the dude is pretty freakin' creepy!



Check out that bling. Apparently the King is a wigger, too.

"You down wit' da Whopper, bitches?

Seriously who designed that mascot, the Village People?

[Alex Linder]

Linder. You haven't explained how, what is obviously a loss leader, gets classified by you as a "scam". What happened to all your free market beliefs?

I didn't mean scam literally and illegally, I used the term loosely. Yes, it's buyer beware. That's why I made the original post. I didn't think hard enough when I bought two 1/2-pound burritos. I am used to weights from dealing with fish, but without thinking, the "pound" sounded big to me. Only after paying $4 did I notice that they didn't seem any bigger than the .89c ones. And in fact, they're smaller. So I fell for the marketers' ruse. Once. The .89c burritos are worth it. The $1.89 burritos are not worth it. The new .89c burritos are not worth it because they're mostly beans and not meat.

Maybe I should become a socialist so the government can protect me from my own stupidity, eh? We can pay a burocrat to force taco makers to advertise "slightly smaller burritos for more than twice the price."

[Alex Linder]

I have happily eaten many .89c meat burritos from Taco Bell. I would have paid up to 1.20 for them. So I "made" .40 apiece on them. On the other hand, the 2 half-pounders I felt ripped off by cost me a d'oh tax of ~two dollars. Overall, I'm still ahead. That's the beauty of the market - you only have to buy what you want. And if you don't want to buy anything, you can do that too.

[Alex Linder]

Duffy: Any healthy system needs a way to correct error and remove waste. Nature has extinction, the economy has loss, bankruptcy, liquidation. Interfering in this process lengthens feedback loops. Error and waste are allowed to accumulate, and you ultimately get a massive collapse.

Capitalism is primarily attacked by two groups: utopians who wish to impose a more "compassionate" system, and political capitalists who want to enjoy the fruits of success without bearing the pain of failure. They use the coercion of the state to gain privileges, at the expense of everyone else.

As a country we've become less tolerant of economic failure. The result has been a series of interventions, such as meddling in the credit markets, promoting homeownership and creating a variety of safety nets for investors. Each crisis leads to an even greater crisis. The solution is always greater doses of intervention. So the system becomes increasingly unstable. The interventionists never see the bust coming, then blame it on "capitalism."

http://www.lewrockwell.com/spl/shorting-economic-recovery.html

[Mike Parker]

I don't like anything with the soft flour tortilla. I know it's cooked but it tastes a bit raw to me. A great SW dish is the chimichanga, a fried burrito. It's like a giant egg roll with Tex-Mex filling.

[Mr Murray]

Duffy: Any healthy system needs a way to correct error and remove waste. Nature has extinction, the economy has loss, bankruptcy, liquidation. Interfering in this process lengthens feedback loops. Error and waste are allowed to accumulate, and you ultimately get a massive collapse.

Capitalism is primarily attacked by two groups: utopians who wish to impose a more "compassionate" system, and political capitalists who want to enjoy the fruits of success without bearing the pain of failure. They use the coercion of the state to gain privileges, at the expense of everyone else.

As a country we've become less tolerant of economic failure. The result has been a series of interventions, such as meddling in the credit markets, promoting homeownership and creating a variety of safety nets for investors. Each crisis leads to an even greater crisis. The solution is always greater doses of intervention. So the system becomes increasingly unstable. The interventionists never see the bust coming, then blame it on "capitalism."

http://www.lewrockwell.com/spl/shorting-economic-recovery.html

That's a nice quote Mr Linder but what's it got to do with Taco Bell using a loss leader strategy?

[COTW]

The only loss leader that Taco Bell runs is the Taco bell weight loss diet (http://www.newsrunner.com/display-article/?eUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.syracuse.com%2Fhealthfitness%2F2009%2F12%2Fcan_you_lose_weight_gain_healt.html&eSrc=The+Post-Standard+-+Syracuse+NY&eTitle=Can+you+lose+weight+%2F+gain+health+on+Taco+Bell+Drive-Thru+Diet%3F).

[Dale VanderMeer]

Most of the calories are fat, hardly a healthy "meal".

Take a good look at this.:
http://i46.tinypic.com/2rr6hhv.jpg
Found Here (http://caloriecount.about.com/calories-taco-bell-1-2-lb-i56064)

It can make one look like this.:
http://images.paraorkut.com/img/funnypics/images/f/fat_girl_poster-12965.jpg

Or this.:
http://janeheller.mlblogs.com/fat-guy.jpg
This is a true scam of genius, genuinely beautiful in its simplicity.

Taco Bell earlier this year was pushing its "89c burritos."

Now it's pushing the exact same burritos as "1/2 pound burritos" for more than double the price.

Sheer genius!

[Alex Linder]

That's a nice quote Mr Linder but what's it got to do with Taco Bell using a loss leader strategy?

Loss leader is your claim, not mine. I doubt they would sell burritos they didn't make a profit from for months on end.

[Kind Lampshade Maker]

...That's the beauty of the market - you only have to buy what you want. And if you don't want to buy anything, you can do that too.Unfortunately, not even a free-market economy is capable of subdoing a 2 A.M. munchy dictatorship

[OTPTT]

Loss leader is your claim, not mine. I doubt they would sell burritos they didn't make a profit from for months on end.

I've been told that the 'meat' they use in their tacos and burritos isn't really beef or animal protein but rather a soy based meat-like protein product.

When I was calling around about food of the long-term storage type, I found out that the meat that came in the cans was also the same type that Taco Bell uses in many of their products. A soy based protein.

Anyone else have information on this?

[albion]

Taco Bell is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc.

Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE: YUM) or Yum! is a Fortune 500 corporation, that operates or licenses Taco Bell, KFC, Pizza Hut, Wingstreet, and Long John Silver's restaurants worldwide, and A&W Restaurants. Based in Louisville, Kentucky, it is the world's largest fast food restaurant company in terms of system units—over 36,000 restaurants around the world in more than 110 countries and territories. In 2008, Yum!'s global sales totaled more than US$11 billion.

David C. Novak (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_C._Novak)is an American businessman. He is the current Executive Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and President and Chairman of the Executive & Finance Committee at YUM! Brands Inc. Novak has also served as Chief Operating Officer of Pepsi-Cola North America, and Executive Vice President of Marketing and National Sales for the Pepsi-Cola Company. He has been an Independent Director of JPMorgan Chase & Co. since 2001. He also serves as a Director of Bank One Corporation. Novak holds a B.A. degree from the University of Missouri.

[Alex Linder]

I've been told that the 'meat' they use in their tacos and burritos isn't really beef or animal protein but rather a soy based meat-like protein product.

When I was calling around about food of the long-term storage type, I found out that the meat that came in the cans was also the same type that Taco Bell uses in many of their products. A soy based protein.

Anyone else have information on this?

Wouldn't surprise me. I'm sure it's not particularly healthy. Sometimes at 2am it's an attractive option.

[albion]

New Beefy 5-Layer Burrito
http://www.tacobell.com/beefy5layerburrito/

1/2 Pounders
http://www.tacobell.com/halfpoundburritos/

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a1/Jacob.svg

Right Wing Extremists from Yum Brands (Taco Bell) Exploit Florida Farm Workers

....Take, for example, Yum Brands - the largest restaraunt corporation in the
world, owner of Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC, Long John Silvers and A&W
Family Restaraunts. A recent article by Sarah Posner, "Leading Like
Jesus," examines some of Yum's less-than-moral business practices and
provides another great example of just this kind of disconnect between
perception and reality - a disconnect, much like those mentioned above,
that is probably best called by the good old fashioned word: "hypocrisy."

You see, Yum Brands CEO David Novak is a member of a very large
evangelical church, Southeast Christian Church, the largest church in all
of Kentucky. Southeast Christian is a beacon for moral values. As Ms.
Posner mentions in her article, Southeast Christian sent busloads of
people to lobby the Kentucky legislature in favor of an anti-gay marriage
amendment this year. The pastor of Southeast Christian, Bob Russell, said
during the recent presidential campaign, "We [evangelicals] have more
reasons to start a revolution than they did in 1776... I don't see how you
can be a dedicated Christian and remain neutral." Mr. Novak is also is a
proud and vocal evangelist of what he calls "Jesus-Centered Leadership,"
joining Reverend Russell to stage motivational workshops on the topic for
thousands of people at a time.

Outside of church, David Novak earns millions and millions of dollars for
his work running the world's largest fast-food company. Because that
company targets the youth demographic - young people from the ages of
16-30 - David Novak markets his product on the television shows that young
people watch. That's just good business.


But young people watch bad things. In particular, young people like sex,
so Yum Brands spends a lot of money advertising its product on television
shows that are very sexually explicit. In short, Yum uses sex to sell its
product. This contradiction got David Novak and the company that has made
him a multi-millionaire into hot water with Mr. Novak's evangelical
friends, the American Decency Association, who threatened to boycott Yum
if the company didn't agree to pull its ads from a popular new show -
popular because of its frank sexuality - called "Desperate Housewives."


Yum Brands, ever the moral company, quickly bowed to the demands of the
threatened boycott and pulled its ads. No hypocrisy there - or, at least,
once Yum's hypocrisy was discovered it was quickly dealt with.


But Yum's morally-correct reaction to the threatened boycott raises some
interesting questions. For example, what about MTV, one of Yum's principal
marketing partners? Quick - think of MTV... what comes to mind? Young,
scantily-clad people shaking their booties, right?

Think they'd ever show MTV's "Summer Beach House Dance Party" up on the
big screens in David Novak's mega-church, Southeast Christian, in
Louisville? How about MTV's "The Real World," with its weekly serving of
kids having sex in hot tubs, their naughty bits demurely, digitally
blurred? Do the precepts of "Jesus Centered Leadership" permit its
proponents to profit from sexually suggestive images when those same
images would send people running from the pews if they were ever broadcast
in church?

Yet even after pulling its ads from "Desperate Housewives," Yum continues
to sell tacos to teenagers drawn to MTV by its strong sexual content and
frank discussion of sex, sex, and more sex. Yum has probably sold billions
of dollars of food thanks to MTV.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/corp/exploit122704.cfm

[Marty Macaluso]

Burritos suck, they are way too difficult to eat. My mom makes a great fajita type dish, she cooks skirt steak well done in a tomato sauce with onions, garlic, and bell peppers. She gives the option of eating it in the soft shell taco type thing, or over white rice.

[Roy]

Right Wing Extremists from Yum Brands (Taco Bell) Exploit Florida Farm Workers


http://www.organicconsumers.org/corp/exploit122704.cfm

What the hell is that? The guy's name doesn't sound Jewish, but he sure can bitch like one.

OMG Taco Bell is advertising to teenagers.

http://www.creepygif.com/images/thumb/343.jpg (http://www.creepygif.com/image.php?i=343)
Gimmee a break. Oh, I know he's just saying it's hypocritical for someone to be a member of a so-called "right-wing extremist" church, yet the company he heads is advertising on "Desperate Housewives". Oh boo-fucking-hoo. Evil-mean-greedy-corporate-scumbags get paid a lot better than pizza delivery men. Oh the humanity!

Upon closer inspection of the article, I now realize that someone with a Jewish name was the original bitcher. Isn't that just like a kike? To endlessly and forever piss and moan about every "injustice" the world over? Why even respond to their endless demands?

By Sarah Posner (http://www.clrlabor.org/alerts/2004/dec13-bell-jesus.htm)

Why did YUM! Brands, the oxymoronically named corporate conglomerate that owns Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Long John Silver, and A&W Restaurants, stop advertising on Desperate Housewives in the face of a boycott threat by a fringe right-wing Christian group, the American Decency Association?


My God. Someone must have eaten a bad taco to get all worked up over this non-issue. I suppose everything would be cool with them if he was a member of the First Church of Satan. Then they'd find something else to bitch about.

[cillian]

I've been told that the 'meat' they use in their tacos and burritos isn't really beef or animal protein but rather a soy based meat-like protein product.

When I was calling around about food of the long-term storage type, I found out that the meat that came in the cans was also the same type that Taco Bell uses in many of their products. A soy based protein.

Anyone else have information on this?

*Will Contain One Of The Ingredient Statements Above, Depending Upon Regional Suppliers

Seasoned Beef

Beef, Water, Seasoning [Isolated Oat Product, Salt, Chili Pepper, Onion Powder, Tomato Powder, Oats, Soy Lecithin, Toasted Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Maltodextrin, Sugar, Soybean Oil (Anti-Dusting Agent), Black Pepper, Oregano, Cumin, Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Citric Acid, Caramel Color, Cocoa Powder (Processed With Alkali), Lactic Acid, Natural Flavors, Natural Smoke Flavor, Modified Corn Starch], Salt, Sodium Phosphate. CONTAINS SOYBEAN, GLUTEN

Carne Asada Steak*

Beef, Water, Seasoning [Modified Potato Starch, Salt, Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Dextrose, Maltodextrin, Carrageenan, Paprika, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Spices, Hot Sauce (Aged Red Peppers, Vinegar, Salt), Citric Acid, Sugar, Dehydrated Vinegar, Soybean Oil, Natural Flavors, Soybean Lecithin], Sodium Phosphates. Sauce: Water, Seasoning [Salt, Caramel Color, Modified Food Starch, Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Maltodextrin, Dextrose, Garlic Powder, Xanthan Gum, Onion Powder, Beef Stock, Vinegar Solids, Natural Flavors, Citric Acid, Sugar, Thiamine Hydrochloride, Succinic Acid, Soy Lecithin, Beef Fat, Potassium Sorbate)], Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, BHT. CONTAINS SOYBEAN

Chicken, Southwest

Chicken Breast Meat With Rib Meat, Water, Seasoning [Salt, Maltodextrin, Spices, Garlic Powder, Chili Pepper, Paprika, Onion Powder, Carrageenan, Disodium Inosinate, Disodium Guanylate, Natural Flavoring, Mixed Triglycerides, Yeast, Modified Corn Starch, Corn Syrup Solids, Yeast Extract, Alginates (Sodium, Calcium And/or Ammonium), Cellulose, Calcium Chloride, Sodium Benzoate Used To Protect Quality, Not More Than 2% Silicon Dioxide Added To Prevent Caking, Soybean Oil], Modified Food Starch, Sodium Phosphates.

Chicken, Spicy Shredded

Chicken Thigh Meat, Water, Seasoning [Chili Pepper, Salt, Modified Food Starch, Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Dehydrated Garlic, Dehydrated Onion, Paprika, Spices, Sugar, Maltodextrin, Chicken Broth, Hydrolyzed Chicken Meat, Canola Oil, Jalapeno Pepper Powder, Tomato Powder, Lactic Acid, Flavors, Garlic Powder, Oleoresin Paprika, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Partially Hydrogenated Sunflower Oil, Citric Acid, UFS: Natural Smoke Flavor, And Less Than 2% Silicon Dioxide (Anticaking Agent), Chicken Conditioner (Modified Potato And Corn Starch, Sodium Phosphate, Carrageenan), Soybean Oil With BHT As Antioxidant, Rosemary Extract (Natural Extractives Of Rosemary With Soybean And/Or Canola Oil)].

From Taco Bell Statement updated 1/2008

[George Witzgall]

*
Chicken, Southwest

Chicken Breast Meat With Rib Meat, Water, Seasoning [Salt, Maltodextrin, Spices, Garlic Powder, Chili Pepper, Paprika, Onion Powder, Carrageenan, Disodium Inosinate, Disodium Guanylate, Natural Flavoring, Mixed Triglycerides, Yeast, Modified Corn Starch, Corn Syrup Solids, Yeast Extract, Alginates (Sodium, Calcium And/or Ammonium), Cellulose, Calcium Chloride, Sodium Benzoate Used To Protect Quality, Not More Than 2% Silicon Dioxide Added To Prevent Caking, Soybean Oil], Modified Food Starch, Sodium Phosphates.

From Taco Bell Statement updated 1/2008

wow, that's a relief to know you're only eating 2% sand in your chicken.

[Kind Lampshade Maker]

It's not a relief to know that one's cakes will lose 2% mass

[Mike Parker]

HERB BENHAM: For whom the Taco Bell tolls

The Bakersfield Californian | Thursday, Jan 21 2010

Glen Bell died. That probably doesn't mean much. It didn't to me until I focused on the "Bell" part.

Bell founded Taco Bell in 1962. His first store was in Downey. He sold tacos for 19 cents.

Now there are more than 5,600 locations in the U.S. serving more than 36 million customers a week. Bell sold the company to PepsiCo in 1978 .

You remember your first Taco Bell taco like you remember your first kiss. This is a miracle, you think. Then you ask yourself two questions:

How do they make it taste like this? May I have more?

The seasoned meat. The chopped lettuce. The crispy outer shell.

In high school, Taco Bell almost warranted cult status. Hamburgers were a dime a dozen, but Taco Bell was the first step in learning to speak Spanish and to travel abroad.

High school led to college, which led to marriage and then children. On the weekends, when the kids were young, Taco Bell was a privilege to be earned. Want lunch? Work.

Rake the leaves, clean your room, keep your father company on the trip to the dump.

Why? Taco Bell is why. If Saturday is seamless, we'll eat lunch at Taco Bell.

Usually, it was. Chores that took an hour would take half the time. The children would line up on the porch like bandits in Pancho Villa's army.

We'd go to the Taco Bell on 24th Street. That or California and Oak. Both were good.

"Order anything you want," I'd say.

Anything? Trips to Taco Bell gave them the impression that their father was a big spender. A generous man.

"My dad lets me order anything I want at Taco Bell," they'd say.

Well, almost anything. "Anything" didn't include soft drinks. Nor did "anything" include items from the fancy part of the menu. No, what "anything" meant was any hard taco or any bean burrito.

In other words, two items. If you want a large soda or a Volcano Double Beef Burrito, I suggest raking our leaves and the neighbors' too.

"Anything" wasn't just a matter of frugality. If you ordered drinks or chose items deep in the menu, you spoiled the charm of Taco Bell. That charm being that a family of six could get out of there safely under $10. Under $10 and have a smattering of change left over.

What we learned about Taco Bell, which was less malicious than forgetful, was if you wanted four tacos, better to order five, because invariably they'd lose track and the bag would be one taco shy. Most of the time, the shortage wouldn't be discovered until we pulled up in front of the house.

Who's going to return to the restaurant for one taco and how would you prove it anyway? By the time we reached home, the security of the bag had been breached and several tacos eaten. Inhaled, really.

Bell had three rules of business. The first was: "You build business one customer at a time." I suspect that for many families, this wasn't true. Customers came in bunches like balloons. Bouncing off one another, excited and every seat filled.

http://www.bakersfield.com/news/columnist/benham/x113240655/HERB-BENHAM-For-whom-the-Taco-Bell-tolls

[albion]

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2010/01/19/business/19bell_CA0/popup.jpg
Glen W. Bell Jr., whose idea in 1951 to sell crispy-shell tacos from the window of his hamburger stand became the foundation of Taco Bell, the restaurant chain that turned Mexican fare into fast food for millions of Americans, died at his home in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. He was 86.

His death was announced Sunday on the Taco Bell Web site. No other details were provided.

Mr. Bell never forgot the first taco buyer at Bell’s Hamburgers and Hot Dogs in San Bernardino, Calif., one of three stands he owned at the time.

“He was dressed in a suit and as he bit into the taco the juice ran down his sleeve and dripped on his tie,” Mr. Bell recalled in “Taco Titan: The Glen Bell Story,” (Bookworld Services, 1999), a biography by Debra Lee Baldwin. “I thought, ‘Uh-oh, we’ve lost this one.’ But he came back, amazingly enough, and said, ‘That was good. Gimme another.’ ”

By the time Mr. Bell sold the chain to PepsiCo in 1978, it had grown to 868 restaurants. Today, the company says, more than two billion tacos and a billion burritos are sold each year at more than 5,600 Taco Bell restaurants in the United States and around the world.

Drive-in stands dotted San Bernardino when Mr. Bell opened his first one there in the late 1940s. One competitor, only a few miles away, was the original stand opened by two brothers with the last name of McDonald.

They all were capitalizing on the emerging Southern California car culture, offering prompt service and streamlined menus of mostly standard fare like hamburgers, hot dogs, French fries and milk shakes.

But Mr. Bell, a fan of Mexican food, had a hunch that ground beef, chopped lettuce, shredded cheese and chili sauce served in the right wrap could give burgers a run for the money. The problem was which wrap. Tacos served in Mexican restaurants at the time were made with soft tortillas.

“If you wanted a dozen, you were in for a wait,” Mr. Bell said. “They stuffed them first, quickly fried them and stuck them together with a toothpick.”

The solution: preformed fried shells that would then be stuffed. Mr. Bell asked a man who made chicken coops to fashion a frying contraption made of wire.

Tacos became a hit at Bell’s, selling for 19 cents each. They were such a hit that by 1954 Mr. Bell and a partner opened Taco Tia, his first restaurant selling only Mexican-style food.

Two years and three Taco Tias later, Mr. Bell sold his interest after his business partner resisted expanding any further. Mr. Bell then opened another fast-food Mexican restaurant in Pasadena, in 1957, and a year later took on three partners in a chain called El Taco.

After four El Tacos, Mr. Bell decided he no longer wanted to answer to any partners. He sold out again. Then, in 1962, with a $4,000 investment, he opened the first Taco Bell, in Downey, Calif. Over the next two years, he started eight more Taco Bells, each with a grand opening featuring live salsa music, searchlights and free sombreros. The first of its franchises opened in Torrance, Calif., in 1965.

PepsiCo greatly expanded the chain after purchasing it in 1978 for about $125 million, then spun it off to Tricon Global Restaurants in 1997. Tricon changed its name to Yum Brands in 2002.

Glen W. Bell Jr. was born in Lynwood, Calif., on Sept. 3, 1923, one of six children of Glen and Ruth Johnson Bell. When he was 12, the family moved to a small farm outside of San Bernardino.

At 16, with the family facing hard times, according to his biography, Glen Jr. “goes on the bum” and “rides the rails in search of work.” He joined the Marines in 1943 and served in the Pacific.

Back in San Bernardino after the war, Mr. Bell bought a surplus Army truck and began hauling adobe bricks at 5 cents each. A miniature golf course that he leased failed to make a profit. Then, he opened a hamburger stand in a Hispanic neighborhood.

Mr. Bell married Dorothy Taylor in 1947. They were divorced in 1953. He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Martha; three sisters, Delores, Dorothy and Maureen; a daughter, Kathleen; two sons, Gary and Rex; and four grandchildren.

The trade publication Nation’s Restaurant News has credited Mr. Bell with introducing millions of Americans to Mexican-style food. “I always smile,” Mr. Bell told the magazine in 2008, “when I hear people say that they never had a taco until Taco Bell came to town.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/19/business/19bell.html?ref=obituaries

[odin]

I've been told that the 'meat' they use in their tacos and burritos isn't really beef or animal protein but rather a soy based meat-like protein product.

When I was calling around about food of the long-term storage type, I found out that the meat that came in the cans was also the same type that Taco Bell uses in many of their products. A soy based protein.

Anyone else have information on this?Texturized vegetable protein. Pizza Hut mixes it with the sausage on their pizzas. A lot of processed tv dinner-type food contains it also.