Taco Bell’s Revenge: Sells 100 Million Doritos Tacos in 10 Weeks

Taco Bell’s Revenge: Sells 100 Million Doritos Tacos in 10 Weeks

There's a new product on the market that is selling like hot cakes, with 100 million units sold in just 10 weeks.  And no, it is not the iPhone or any other Apple product.

It's Taco Bell's new nacho cheese flavored Doritos Locos Taco, which sells for $1.29 and features a shell made from a Doritos chip on the outside, maintaining the same taste as a Taco Bell classic crunchy taco on the inside.

The new taco – which debuted in Taco Bell's 5,600 stores on March 8 – has quickly become the company's most successful product launch in its 50-year history. It even led its parent company Yum Brands to a 73% profit jump in the first quarter of this year.

After a handful of brand-damaging incidents over the past couple years – including E. Coli and salmonella outbreaks and a lawsuit questioning whether its taco meat was really beef – Taco Bell faced declining same-store sales.

In the first three quarters of last year, the company saw sales decline 1%, 5% and 2% respectively. But in the last quarter of 2011, things started to look up and that momentum has carried through to the first quarter of this year with same-store sales up 6% from the previous year.

On Wednesday, the company announced it will take its new Cantina Bell menu nationwide starting July 5. Brian Niccol, a Taco Bell executive, has called the menu "Gourmet Mexican."

The menu was influenced by celebrity chef Loren Garcia – a judge on "America's Next Great Restaurant and contestant on the upcoming series of "Top Chef Masters."   Items on the new Cantina Bell menu are priced below $5 and will compete with other upscale fast-casual Mexican eateries like Chipotle and Qdoba.

As the company rebuilds its image, it is standing by all of its new products, offering unsatisfied customers their money back.  Apparently, Taco Bell has always had a 100% percent customer satisfaction policy, but is now for the first time advertising it to customers.

Posted by Melanie Mendoza on Thursday June 07 2012, 5:14 AM EST. Ref: Yahoo. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, Shopping. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0