Why Taco Bell Got So Expensive

[@ModernMBA]

Use code MODERNMBA50 to get 50% OFF First Box and free wellness shots for life with any active subscription at bit.ly/3QtRqdt! ☕ Support Modern MBA on Patreon: www.reddit.com/r/modernmba/ 💬 Join the Modern MBA on Reddit: www.patreon.com/modernmba 🌎 Follow Modern MBA on Facebook: facebook.com/people/Modern-MBA/61570667949655/ 🕊 Follow Modern MBA on Twitter: x.com/modern_mba

[@ardenchan1213]

Nah

[@AMPProf]

@@user-tm1kb3fq4m I like boings a zip zaps

[@AMPProf]

pepsi co owns my fast food life

[@bigtime39384]

It was called Tricon Long john silvers and A&W being added changed it to Yum

[@bigtime39384]

Not mention them was a weird exclusion, also the discontinuation of licensee restaurants was one of the big reasons why the number dipped in early 2000s. Pushing for later night sales "Forth meal" is where sales growth was for franchisees in mid 2000s.

[@arjunkaycee2517]

Yesterday, Taco Bell decided to pretend to be a tech company and did like an hour-long presentation in the style of Apple and Sony. Considering this video basically said that Taco Bell is carrying both KFC and Pizza Hut, it just feels perfect.

[@AZNGoSu]

Honestly, their presentation did feel a little tongue in cheek but also worked. They know their audience and Taco Bell is “cool”

[@ThinkBusiness247]

Where can watch the presentation?

[@OverAnalyst]

Oh was that the Live Más LIVE thing?

[@SecondTake123]

It's on their KZbin channel ​@@ThinkBusiness247

[@incurableromantic4006]

Ah the old "Traditional business pretends to be a tech company" dodge. Best done with a long-haired and scruffily dressed executive who says things like "Elevate humanity" and "vision for society" a lot. (Yes I'm looking at you We Work).

[@EvlEgle]

Also this whole "growth at all costs" is exactly whats wrong with literally every publicly traded company.

[@one-eyepadidally8449]

I learned in this that the Taco Bell CEO/president or what ever the hell his title was, Emil (his last name isn’t even worth remembering) is the one responsible for getting rid of Taco Bell’s amazingly delicious taco salad, _JUST BECAUSE_ people ate it with a fork and it wasn’t handheld to eat while on the go/driving. I hate him. 😡 I mean, I’m a vegetarian, but substituting the meat for beans was still delicious as hell. I think he also worked in the same era that got rid of the YUMMY AF cinnamon crispas, and replaced them with those garbage puffy cinnamon twists that were just like overly processed cinnamon toast crunch breakfast cereal. 🤢 I’ve had to learn how to make BOTH of those things at home myself to satisfy those cravings, and believe me, learning how to perfect the fried tortilla shell bowl for the taco salad was NOT easy! I did it eventually though, and I even make the taco salad way better with all of the other ingredients I’ve learned to add to it. Regardless, screw Emil lol.

[@scottlemiere2024]

And as stupid short term growth over everything issue is REQUIRED OF THEM BY LAW.

[@EvlEgle]

@@scottlemiere2024 that's why I said every publicly traded company. At least under us law. Fucking stupid. Never satisfied with enough profit, gotta get more. It's not sustainable.

[@PlagueXKill3R]

This 💯👏🏻

[@filanfyretracker]

@@scottlemiere2024 I think some of this is a change in attitude among the investing world, American companies did not always run headlong into short term profits and growth. There was a time where while they still of course cared about positive income(because well they are a business), They also cared about long term future. And their investors were also longer term and as such cared about futures beyond a single quarter.

[@SpunkMcKullins]

The whiplash of watching a video about Taco Bell's success and within 10 minutes being introduced to Deng Xiaoping is wild.

[@David.77]

It's always surprising just how much overlap there is in history

[@duncanluciak5516]

Vivà la Revolucion!

[@TraderJoe007]

can you explain? i don't get it

[@jgood005]

@@TraderJoe007 They are seemingly very unrelated topics and the commenter finds humor in that

[@jhnyjoejoe69]

Remember the 89cent 5 layer beefy burrito from 2010? It's $5 now. A 500% mark up.

[@leaguefixesyourmatches8259]

Not going to taco bell to pay $$$ for basically dogfood. Del taco is expensive now too

[@jeltoninc.8542]

It’s criminal. I hope they go under.

[@michaelduncan5417]

$2.99 for a half empty little bag of nacho and cheese.Done with them!!!

[@silentkensei]

​@@michaelduncan5417 this right here. It's especially crazy when you can spend 40 cents more (for where I'm at) and get the loaded nachos.

[@margorana2628]

I need to know how this dude gets a hold of every 1980s commercial made by every major business in the the Western Hemisphere.

[@feedmewifi_477]

there’s lots of compilations on youtube

[@geth7112]

It shouldn't be that hard if they're American companies

[@mangos2888]

The $1M question, right here

[@SammehMarley]

There's a massive collection of 'em on the internet archive, just google "old commercials archive"

[@AMPProf]

Omg bro.. (dirty joke here)

[@steverogers7601]

Sooooo, Taco Bell is winning the franchise wars? Demolition Man was right!

[@zeruty]

​@@d1g1tvl-0hretor1cthe three seashells are a life changer

[@patrickledonne5547]

Carl's Jr Will win in the end.

[@zeruty]

@@patrickledonne5547 Carl's Jr already closed the location they opened near me

[@patrickledonne5547]

@@zeruty just a bump in the road. According to the docucomedy "Idiocracy" they will be huge in the future

[@bryedtan]

Fun Fact in other countries the movie Demolition Man characters would say Pizza Hut instead of Taco Bell because most countries overseas did not have Taco Bell. I lived in the Philippines in Southeast Asia during Demolition Man's screenings the characters and scenes show the Pizza Hut logo and we had no Taco Bell in that time. True Taco Bell would arrive in the country in that time but by that time local Mexican Restaurants already were introduced we had a Mexican restaurant called Mexicali later another fast food like restaurant that had both Burgers fries and Mexican Burritos and Quessadilas in a restaurant called Army Navy so yeah Taco Bell is a bit limited still.

[@Nevir202]

I love the logic: "This brand is our golden goose, we can't risk screwing it up, so we are going to stop doing what we have been doing and instead penny pinch!"

[@BrandonGiesing]

Yeah if anything, them deciding they can't mess it up IS LITERALLY THEM MESSING IT UP. They are basically throwing away everything that made it a success in the first place, how is that going to maintain their golden goose.

[@mzcytin]

Meanwhile the penny pinching led to changing our favorite products at KFC and Pizza Hut and is what chased lifelong customers away. SMH it's like they don't understand us at all 😂

[@minkusdraconus]

@@mzcytin TB has pretty much lost me from items they cut or just overall poor quality, It's really rate in the last few years to try something and enjoy it. The returned Mexican pizza (and even before it left) is a worse version, the shells are usually oil soaked rather than crispy, never enough "sauce", an no consistency to the proportions of ingredients. There are only so many ways to mix the same 7 things. Might as well just serve 7 layer smoothies.

[@Teampegleg]

I pretty much stopped going to TB after my standard order of two been burritos crested over $5.

[@Nevir202]

@@mzcytin Ya, it's sad I literally had to go to foreign countries to enjoy good KFC again. Brazilian KFC is basically the same as it was when I was a kid, just with a few different side dishes lol. Indonesian KFC is funny, because they say it like Kefchee, and they have some Japanese inspired still. I had Yakiniku when I was there lol.

[@AEternalCoachworks]

Fast food used to be great because it was cheap. Now it's cheaper to go to smaller businesses.

[@metalmanexetreme]

And better for the local economy too

[@spaceghosttoast]

It was almost always cheaper to go to small business but back then the convince and speed of fast food made it worth the 0.50¢ -2$ per meal extra you'd pay going to fast food, but now fast food is rarely fast or good compared to small joints so it's not worth it anymore

[@SuperRat420]

F the owning class, big or small​@@metalmanexetreme

[@mitchelldkirby]

@@SuperRat420dude, the small immigrant restaurants I go to are very different than the fast food conglomerates discussed here. You sound like a 12 year old when you talk like this lol.

[@Ricer-b4n]

Small business are even worst. They took advantage of this minimum wage increase and jack the helloutof their menu. Eventho they aren't even impacted by the minimum wage. Only large franchise with 50 stores had to pay higher wages to their employees. Not these little mom and pop shops. They rippping everybody blind.

[@cameronbatko]

No wonder Taco Bell has gone downhill the last few years. Ordering a few items you spend $15-20. That is too much for Taco Bell. All the innovation of the past has stopped. And now they are squeezing the customer for more money. I go to taco way less than I used to 3-4 years ago. Used to be my go to fast food

[@crossdaboss8914]

You can still eat at taco bell cheap you just need to know what to order

[@alexosow]

Same! I used to go there all the time, nowadays I don't even know when's the last time I went, probably once last year

[@AzureRadio]

​@@crossdaboss8914No, you really can't. The value "combo" is $9 and sometimes $7 but only has two small items and a drink. Unless you only order bean burritos you aren't eating under $5 and even then you can only get two as they are $2 now

[@007Zachman]

​@@crossdaboss8914 Lmao nothing there is cheap anymore

[@crossdaboss8914]

@007Zachman in my area you can still get the 5$ box and the have 6$ build your own

[@olivergoldvalente]

Not discounting core products as a concept blew my mind and made me realize their unique position in the market of fast food. I find this stuff fascinating. Thank you for sharing! Excellent video as always.

[@PicturesqueGames]

Yeah, It makes way too much sense when you think about it. Devaluation of identity items on the manaical frequency that mcd/bk does it never worked. You can only do it for extreme occasions - to example - every 10th birthday of the item, for one month. "Big mac's 70th birthday once every 10 year discount" without any other discounting would've worked wonders.

[@70two41five]

This is a very common tactic in retail sales. You never want to take away brand value which is why luxury clothing brands for example make clothes that are specifically for their outlet stores. They don’t want to discount their core products.

[@brody99]

A great example was Subway with five dollar footlongs, at first it was great and their small profit from the subs was made up with the more profitable accessory items (chips, drink). Food costs then rise and you can't sell subs for $5 anymore and the marketing drum you had beat advertising your core product discount now comes back to haunt you as customers see that the subs are now "expensive" and you have devalued a core product.

[@evan]

As a teen I worked at Pizza Hut for 5 years, and I even owned some yum! stock back then too. You could feel the era of the sit down Pizza Hut was coming to a close. I worked as a server and we kept the old school style dining room until the restaurant closed down after I left in 2013. Now they just do delivery.

[@kebonhawk1081]

There's only one Pizza Hut near me and they don't even do delivery. They make you use GrubHub, which tacks on like 10$ for the delivery. Their pizza is not horrible but it's certainly not worth paying 30$ for a delivery pizza from them.

[@nerychristian]

I think Little Ceasars killed Pizza Hut. No one could compete with their $5 pizzas. And they were pretty good pizzas when they first came out.

[@tmapes1989]

@@nerychristian Dominos revolutionized pizza delivery!!! That was the first cut!!! Pizza Hut has always been higher priced than Little Caesars and Dominos. I was a delivery driver for Pizza Hut for a year and a half!!! Too many pizza places now!!!

[@lelsewherelelsewhere9435]

Pizza Hut made a ton of terrible decisions. For one, they for some reason reduced their advertising budget tremendously for several years in the 2000s for no real reason. They also stopped creating new menu items like they used to (stuffed crust pizza was their old creation). They rightly closed their restaurant areas and moved to copy Domino's delivery only (which feels sad but the market was moving that way), but it was too late, and being a copy is worse than being unique and original.

[@rightwingsafetysquad9872]

Doesn't help that the food at Pizza Hut is genuinely horrible. Dominos was bad in the 00s and somehow Pizza Hut was a lot worse.

[@potatoboy792]

Man the comment at 16:15 hit me hard, once McDonalds changed their value menu, I found myself going there less and less often because the higher price point items just hurt when you're use to getting a bag of mcchickens for $5.

[@andyabel3072]

Check this out, you can literally go to a Longhorn steakhouse at lunch. You can get a half pound burger which comes with a soup. They have an amazing seafood bisque for $11. Yeah I think they charge like two bucks for a soda if you go on the low end of a tip it's just about the same price as getting a McDonald's combo, McDonald's ain't no longhorn.

[@kasufert]

I remember the glory days of strolling into maccas, dropping $5 for 4 mcchickens and a large drink, getting 5-8 refills while inhaling my food, and leaving fat and happy. Now you're lucky if you can escape without spending at least $12

[@Apathesis0]

​@@kasufert3 McChickens in my area would cost $12 just by themselves. $4 a McChicken is outrageous.

[@SuperRat420]

​@@andyabel3072that's the dumbest comparison I've read all day

[@TheGreatDanish]

I worked for taco bell in 06-08. After I left that job, I hadnt ate at tacobell for just about 20 years. Ended up at it again a few months ago. I was utterly shocked to find that the food was *just the same* as it was when I was a teenager. Thats genuinely impressive, honestly. The quality and taste of BK, MCDs, and just about every franchise has changed over the years. Taco bell feels like it's core menu is frozen in time and I adore that. Edit: let this post be a memorial to my love of taco bell. I went back shortly after this and nearly puked eating that slop. Holy shit.

[@Asillyhobo]

What's it like in 2028? Who's the president? And are sewer people eating rat meat?

[@tuckerbugeater]

you are weird

[@blahbleh5671]

no. YOU are weird@@tuckerbugeater

[@DEU9002]

@@tuckerbugeaterhow’s that weird

[@common_c3nts]

Dog meat never changes.

[@NicholasGouw]

Gotta love the Yakuza intro references

[@lukecwolf]

Edo is a great font

[@MFMegaZeroX7]

Yup, I was like "I know what Modern MBA was playing recently"

[@SherpaOfSkunk]

Infinite wealth gang rise up

[@sly1292]

​@@MFMegaZeroX7He just finished 7 yesterday 😊

[@joshuatealeaves]

I’ll never forgive Sega for charging $20 for a NG+ mode. The horror 🧖🏻‍♂️

[@bananawitchcraft]

I had no idea Mexican food was unpopular until the 2000s. I grew up in a town with a large Mexican population, I remember before they had a Taco Bell there, and the local Mexican restaurants always had a ton of business. Some of the best food I ever ate

[@josephdantes1605]

breaking news? Mexicans like Mexican food??!!

[@joshlowman9540]

Probably a distrust of corporate Tex Mex as opposed to local Mexican-owned businesses

[@D3xterJettster]

It's ubiquitous here in the Southwest states. Home made is always better tasting than any regular restaurant. Cheaper too.

[@tmapes1989]

@@josephdantes1605 LOL, so do gringos!!!

[@Bipolar.Baddie]

Taco Bell would crumble if stoners and drunk people at 2:30am stopped existing

[@asullivan4047]

A "MOOT" point-!!!😉

[@ethancollins4593]

Was looking for this comment

[@grevensher594]

Taco Bell watched Demolition Man and didn't see a joke, but a prophecy. 😂

[@sydguitar99]

Next video: "why factor and other meal services are scams"

[@quasar953]

For real. Most of these meal services are for yuppies who have more money than sense.

[@sydguitar99]

@@quasar953 I said my comment more as a joke bc he's known for taking sponsorships from the same companies he later makes videos about lol

[@miaomiaou_]

Tbh I tried Factor during a time when I couldn’t cook and was impressed by the quality considering it’s a microwave meal. Still, you can cook the meals at home for cheaper. But the meal choices are way better and healthier than Hello Fresh.

[@sydguitar99]

@miaomiaou_ nah man, their food has Hella preservatives and crazy amounts of sodium. There's nothing healthy about it. Hello fresh is actually fresh because you cook everything by hand and have a lot more control over your diet

[@sydguitar99]

@@miaomiaou_ what makes it better and healthier ? Did you see how much sodium and preservatives they use. It's a glorified frozen TV dinner. At least with hello fresh, since you make it yourself, you know what's exactly in it

[@SammehMarley]

That Spanish-speaking Chihuahua is literally the reason I have my dog, Chalupa, today lmfao I just wanted to get a Chihuahua & name it after somethin' from Taco Bell XD

[@dannydaw59]

That's an awesome name for a Chihuahua.

[@SammehMarley]

@@dannydaw59 lol thanks 😎

[@NaniteAlex]

Love how you used the old Taco Bell fonts for the early charts, nice attention to detail.

[@theweekendwarrior6355]

Taco Bell needs to bring back their value menu. Ain't nothing costing less than $2 there anymore, let alone under $1.

[@olknoxlo]

The only thing they'd sell for a dollar is a cheese wrap.

[@dermharse9614]

Only thing you're getting at Tacobell these days for $1 is added jalapeno or onions in your $3 bean and cheese burrito that used to be .89c

[@i-Sparki]

One thing I can say about Taco Bell is that the quality of their food has surprisingly not dropped over the years. A Cheesy Gordita Taco now tastes pretty much the same as back five years ago. Yes, their food was at a low place already but a reliability in the familiar really helps keep people coming back. In comparison, Burger King barely resembles itself of three years ago let alone five.

[@chuckschillingvideos]

it's hard to drop from the bottom.

[@TheWonkster]

​@chuckschillingvideos you guys being so butthurt about Taco Bell is really funny

[@chuckschillingvideos]

@@TheWonkster Amazing that you can read "butthurt" from my post. I have no investment in this. Taco Bell, objectively, purveys shit food. The difference is that other fast food restaurants are racing their way to dwell at the bottom with them while increasing prices significantly. Still, the bottom remains the bottom.

[@poisonboost1926]

@@chuckschillingvideosby what metrics is it objectively shit?

[@chuckschillingvideos]

@@poisonboost1926 By my wife's entire family's tastebuds. Since they basically live off Mexican food and know it better than basically anyone else on earth, I trust them. Since I loathe Mexican food, my tastebuds can't be trusted. But the experts in my wife's family say Taco Bell is the worst of the worst.

[@mounirhafsa6193]

Best thing to see in your notifications, is @Modern MBA dropping a new masterpiece!

[@gadget00]

They're secret is: they're WAY cheaper and STAY cheaper than their competition. they keep their junk food prices at what you would "rationally" expect to pay for junk food, unlike other fast food restaurants that are reaching "real restaurant" prices that scare away consumers (why would I pay this much for garbage, when I can do Uber Eats and get something better for the same amount?). That's an unbeatable proposition when compared to others. Pizza Hut already closed where I live (Panama) and KFC has had to come up with some cheap menus to stay afloat, while Taco Bell just keep expanding and basically are building them next to each other, to help KFC get some traction

[@ByTheStorm]

To add to this point, it also doesn’t help them that people have far more options that are either affordable diners, frozen food or homemade. Then add the pandemic and inflation into the mix, where people are cooking more at home. Taco Bell also isn’t mired in political controversies like a couple other chains which beyond their brand name, have diminishing returns. I’m staying neutral as much as I can, but controversy over something that’s overpriced and not that good isn’t great for PR. There’s countless burger and coffee shops and chains that serve it cheaper or have better quality/service. In a way, it reminds me a bit of why Taco Bell originally flopped in Mexico. Why go to a place when there’s countless other options?

[@Entertainment-]

I go to fast food restaurants over a real restaurants for consistency, the same reason why someone would go to a hotel vs an AirBnB

[@zeruty]

Here in the US, fast food is approaching real restaurant prices, but not Uber Eats with delivery fee, service charge, inflated menu prices, and tips that drivers feel entitled to and customers feel compelled to pay regardless of how the service was. Ordering for one person through Uber Eats easily doubles the cost over going to pick it up.

[@mystica-subs]

Yum has positioned the brands together in the past here in the US, Tacobell+KFC and Tacobell+Pizzahut (and for a time, Tacobell+Pizzahut+KFCvery sparsely indeed vs the other 2 combinations, we had 1 triple-brand restaurant here in the Denver Colorado metro area, along with many many other TB+PH and a few but still enough TB+KFC's. Now KFC is co-branding single locations with A&W more and leaving tacobells stand-alone properties)

[@zeruty]

@@mystica-subs I have TB+PH near me and when I go to them open to buy Taco Bell or Pizza Hut items, I always end up only buying Taco Bell items.

[@jujubee672]

Taco Bell is not cheap at all. It's actually quite expensive. I am charged $14 for a combo meal -- chicken chalupa.

[@SuperChrismj]

No place is cheaper ….

[@notafatman77]

The video talked about how Taco Bell caters to both the low and high ends of the fast food market. If you're buying combo meals, you're at the high end. Check out the $1 menu... that's how I made it through college 😂

[@takigan]

Used to be cheap. In the past year they’ve gotten greedy. Ten years ago I could easily get two loaded taco/burritos, a bag of Doritos and a soda for like $3.50. Now it’s hard to get out of there without spending at least 10 bucks.

[@shrimpchris6580]

@@SuperChrismj Every local mexican restaurant where I live is competitively priced with Taco Bell and is so much better, it's insane how much more it is to eat there than at mcdonald's since they made their boxes all cost like 10 bucks. A full meal at a local place that I order for takeout is like 12-13 and comes with a sopapilla and a huge ass bag of chips.

[@charlesziegelheim9655]

@@notafatman77 Same but not anymore. 5-layer burritos cost $1 per layer now. It'd be a weekly treat instead of a daily lunch haha

[@jdraven0890]

I saw that all restaurants in the future become Taco Bell in a documentary that Sly Stallone and Wesley Snipes narrated.

[@clintcountryman4849]

I need Pizza Hut to bring back the awesome dine in restaurants with the red roofs, checkered vinyl tablecloths, placemats with things to color, the stain glass hanging lamps....bring it back.

[@stevewoodard527]

Dream on.

[@zacklewis342]

We can't have individuality and atmosphere anymore. Corporate, generic, and sterile are hot... according to the accountants.

[@bumponlog]

Their target demographic was middle class families. Pinching of the middle class together with younger generations not having children results in the closure of those establishments. Evolving preferences play a factor but I think not as much.

[@danieljones2936]

So what you're saying is, my grilled cheese burrito costs $7 because some executive can't accept that nobody wants soggy ass chicken or greasy cardboard covered with cheese and tomato sauce?

[@izzyhall3499]

My mom is a marketing consultant who has worked with McDonald's in the past. Back in 2012, she was doing market research with young millennial males on what fast food chain they thought was the healthiest. Across the board they said Taco Bell - "because it has lettuce and tomato and stuff." McDonald's burgers have those ingredients too, but Taco Bell was their favorite, so of course it was the healthiest :P

[@nerychristian]

Tortillas and ground beef are easier to digest than hamburger buns and patties. So it feels lighter. Therefore people think it is healthy

[@マシュードーラン]

NONE of them are healthy…

[@マシュードーラン]

@@nerychristianThat’s one of the most retarded things I’ve ever read…

[@Jose04537]

That doesn't matter. For marketing, just the PERCEPTION of healthiness matter. For example Subway is perceived as "healthy" despite their bread been 10% pure sugar.​When you think of unhealthy food, McDonald's is the #1 choice, for obvious reasons (bad press and literal facts) @@マシュードーラン

[@asullivan4047]

Consuming a weekly meal @ a fast foods chain eatery. Isn't going to drive up one's cholesterol.

[@anonymousdogg1559]

I hope one day Taco Bell will return to value meals. I literally paid $28 for a power bowl, small Baja blast, and two supreme tacos which didn’t have a fingertip of sour cream. It was for me and my grandpa I wanted to take him out for lunch but dang man $28! 💀 they weren’t even combos.

[@connorPiper0]

Use the app. You are throwing away money by not using the build your own box option

[@The_Starkindler]

Okay but you taking your grandpa out to lunch is the sweetest thing I have read all month. You keep doing you, bud. ❤

[@ffwast]

HUH?!

[@changye9604]

28$??? Damn the trick to ordering at Taco Bell is to order a combo meal and sub in the stuff you want

[@ffwast]

@@changye9604 The trick is not ordering anything at taco bell.

[@hlavco]

We used to go to Pizza Hut a lot when I was a kid. They lost their soul when they stopped serving the pizzas to the table in the actual pans. I'm not a big fan of Taco Bell's "temporarily bring back items to drum up hype" strategy. Yeah, I swing by when they have nacho fries. I'd swing by more often if they *always* had nacho fries.

[@ffwast]

It drives me off entirely. Every time I go in there what I wanted to order is gone. I've had enough.

[@TsarNick1995]

And when they removed the salad bars!

[@jeffmassey4860]

When the dough was shipped in instead of made in store- And the Personal Pan Pizza went to $ hit- That killed it for me. Oh-and the time one store couldn't even cook a Cavatini right. It was frozen in the middle and baffled the oven operators. Good times...

[@vexayen1675]

I got so sad when they took away my rolled chicken tacos that I rejected eating there for awhile

[@jeltoninc.8542]

The chipotle chicken rollups were so fire for $1. RIP taco bell

[@mkwsoxfan]

Removing items from the menu that you still have all the ingredients for and that dont involve excessive prep is a wild business decision. "We dont have the double decker taco any more, but every item has all those ingredients of a DD taco"

[@justind4936]

They should go back to the strategy of being a good value. I used to eat at Taco Bell a couple times a week but they’ve gotten so expensive I maybe go once a month or even once every two months. Even their basic three taco meal is way overpriced. Watching this video and seeing the recent poor hires they have made at the executive level now makes sense with the frustration, over pricing, and general decline of Taco Bell recently. Hope they can get back on track. Doesn’t sound like Yum Brands can afford to keep screwing up Taco Bell.

[@BMWE90HQ]

I remember when a 5 layer burrito was less than $2 now it’s nearly $5 it’s crazy and they’re losing business because of it.

[@MrAgility888]

Pizza Hut needs to have a Dominos style revitalization. Remember in 2010 when Dominos made commercials about how people thought their pizza tasted awful and they changed their brand around for the better? Pizza Hut needs something similar.

[@alexmaur8817]

Domino's still tastes pretty awful. I wish I could get some pizza hut every now and again, but, the only location in my town closed during the pandemicn

[@AHamp123]

Ngl at least for me Pizza Hut has kind of had a comeback. Last few times I’ve had Dominos it was god awful and said I’d never get it again. Now when I want pizza from a chain it’s either Pizza Hut or Papa Johns

[@katobytes]

Pizza Hut is good though, but the consistency is weird especially for their Pan pizzas

[@マシュードーラン]

@@AHamp123Just buy from local pizza places. I don’t get you idiots buying from pizza chains. It’s fucking mind boggling

[@mmm-mmm]

the pizza hut in my town was really good, but they closed it and some shitty local pizza place bout the building. enjoy your under-cooked crap...

[@eqwerewrqwerqre]

Crazy how putting someone focused only on numbers in charge of a company can just fucking ruin every single fucking thing that was ever good in life. Crazy

[@eqwerewrqwerqre]

Also, really interesting how these people can sleep at night knowing that their food is drastically unhealthy, and no longer affordable. Like, what value do they think they're providing to humanity by getting more people to eat their slop? They have to know that they're actively making the world worse. How do they sleep?

[@Allen-qs2xr]

Brian is a real one 👍 Working for Taco Bell even after leaving for Chipotle.

[@asullivan4047]

Isn't " Chipotle " A restaurant/not a fast foot eatery-???🤔

[@oldred890]

​@@asullivan4047Chipotle is fast food. At a basic level, in fact.

[@emmanuelgonzalezcaseira9141]

These Yakuza intros were unexpected, lol, but welcomed. Don't know how it will translate, but for at least on episode it was fun.

[@drtyhay]

I used to eat at taco bell at least once a week, typically more like 3-4 times a week. About 3 years ago I finally got fed up with all the awful corporate changes taco bell has made and I basically never go anymore.

[@JV-bw3jn]

Same here brother

[@user-TheEngineer]

I don't know where Taco Bell is making money. All of ours shut down because they kept jacking up their prices. All the KFCs and Pizza Huts are in the process of liquidating as well. There are dozens of family owned Mexican restaurants and pizza shops around my town that offer way better food, service, and speed for less money. Taco bell wants $7 for some scrawny little burrito thing. I can go to the tacqueria down the street and get a burrito thing that weighs a pound for $5 and it comes with a little bowl of rice. Pizza Hut and KFC raised their prices by $10. $29 dollars for some chicken or a super thing nothing Pizza? Absurd. For $22 I can go to the family pizza place uptown and get a 3 topping STUFFED pizza that weighs like 10 pounds. Even Walmart's $8 fried chicken is comparable in flavor to KFC and $8 vs $29 is huge. Even if you buy the sides at the store to go with the chicken, your meal is under $20. Sometimes KFC has coupons, but no Pizza Hut in a 50 mile radius of me has taken a coupon in 10 years. Yum! brands deserves to go out of business.

[@LogicalPrime]

Where do you live? I literally just got the cravings box with a 5 layer burrito (admittedly small on its own), a crunchwrap, nachos with cheese and a drink for $6 plus tax. Pretty good deal if you ask me

[@user-TheEngineer]

@@LogicalPrime North of Chicago area. Those were $10. Our franchisees around here are greedy as hell. I know all the owners. They send their kids to the private school I work at.

[@melikechoc0]

Man, I had a feeling you were Asian American or related, but that pronunciation of Deng Xiaoping made it even more convincing.

[@Doggystyledaydream]

As a Taco Bell worker, I have to change the prices and I cringe so hard when I watch just how high they go

[@88josher]

I used to go to taco bell about every other week. With the current prices I don't go at all. For what they are charging I just go to Chik Fil A.

[@vault1021]

I called my closest Pizza Hut near me the other day and when I heard an Indian accent I just knew I was in for a ride. So, like the racism HATER I am, decided to go along with the call and made the order. When I got there, I noticed my order was wrong, and they didn’t even include the sides of blue cheese I ordered. I called the Pizza Hut back, asked to speak to the manager, and he said “did you call directly or ordered online?”, and when I said I called directly he said “ohhhh I see now, yeah, we outsourced our orders to a call center in India now, so I’ll give you a $25 store credit for the inconvenience, sorry about that man.” Watching this video really explains it all now…

[@jgood005]

Same thing happened to me! Last time I tried Pizza Hut was like 2012, I called the number and placed an order. When I went to the restaurant they had no record of it. The person explained I had called their call center in Atlanta and they never passed the order through to the local store. Last time I bothered with Pizza Hut, what a bunch of cheap bastards!

[@MrRlwillis1977]

I went to Taco Bell the other day and paid about $2 each for 3 tacos that were very thin, contained watery meat and very little filling overall. They are doing the same things everyone else is doing.

[@atxchaser]

Who orders regular tacos from taco bell tool?

[@MrRlwillis1977]

@atxchaser a side like fries with a burger.

[@GeorgeMonet]

Basically a CEO saw that there was room to increase one out of the three chains under his watch and chose to focus entirely on that chain and handed off control of the other two to finance execs who reduced quality and increased cost which led to reduced sales of those brands. I cannot fault a CEO for focusing on one chain, human capacity is finite. This is why having 3 chains under one roof makes no sense.

[@clementineshetheyfae8312]

Taco Bell has become one of my favorite fast food places in the past two years but withen the last I think six months we have suffered heavy shrinkflation which has made me and my partner actively choose against it because getting a Crunchwrap simply isn’t as filling as it was just a little bit ago while costing the same if not more

[@AntiNihilist]

Simple. Taco innovated(or did) and KFC did not, and people actually want Pizza Hut to stop innovating and just simplify their process in recent years.

[@WarlockAddict64]

Pizza Hut turned into a place which doesn't want you inside, no chairs or tables, dim to no lighting. Gone are the Pizza Hut restaurants I remember. KFC is still set up with big booths and white/red family dining decor, always empty as you compete for cashier time with delivery drivers. Taco Bell had its stores closed down, instead KFC/Taco Bell restaurants were sewn together at the hip to provide a larger menu without inventing anything. If there's going to be a company to dissolve the walk-in order in favour of digital order calculations, it'll be Yum!

[@donkeysaurusrex7881]

Pizza Hut getting rid of the buffet made me a lot less likely to go there. Loved just being able to swoop in stack up half a dozen slices and drown them in marinara while a waitress brought me glass after glass of Pepsi.

[@katobytes]

Coof virus and lower social trust makes no one want to stick around at a fast food place. Get your food and run away from the other commoners.

[@nerychristian]

Pizza hut needs to team up with Panda Express. Or with Taco Bell, and just focus on selling mini pizzas

[@bumponlog]

​@@donkeysaurusrex7881when was the last time you did that? Sounds delicious and very pre-2000.

[@donkeysaurusrex7881]

@@bumponlog 2019

[@OverAnalyst]

LA native - I miss Del Taco, El Pollo Loco, Baja Fresh & many indies. Chipotle's great. But damn does Taco Bell satisfy a certain craving. Interesting vid!

[@Entertainment-]

I miss Los Pollos Hermanos

[@jermboy47]

It's that msg

[@OverAnalyst]

@@Entertainment- Yeah that place is to die for

[@rustyshackleford6637]

As a trucker I always love stopping at a del taco when I'm around one out west

[@deeznutz32108]

Chipotle is too expensive nowadays, I'm not paying $15 for a burrito with guac

[@Xiuhcoatl_]

I have been a Taco Bell man my entire life and gotta say... The fact that you can taste the exact same taco you have had all your life for basically ever just makes you go wow... I love this place. I don't get it often, but when I do I can really feel just why I love having it. I'm glad to see they do well. Are their products high quality? Probably not. Is the meat actual meat? I mean... Who knows. Is it bloody delicious at a pretty reasonable price with hot sauce that ACTUALLY matches the flavor of the food? Yes. And that's what matters to me.

[@benverboonen1108]

Love the Yakuza introductions. Really well done lol

[@PorkChopJones]

If you have never had Taco Bell, Pizza Hut or Kentucky Fried Chicken back in the 1970's and 1980's then you have no idea how much better their food used to be. Their ingredients have been reengineered so many times it would make your head spin. Profits over quality is the name of the game. Presented in a pretty package gets everyone hooked!

[@nerychristian]

I loved the sit down Pizza Hut restaurants. And also loved when the Hot Wings first came out. Now their chicken is trash.

[@TheBagOfHolding]

Smell and taste get weaker with age. Nothing is as good as it once was.

[@VladimirPutin-p3t]

I used to really like KFC. Legitimately enjoyed eating their extra crispy Now it's inedible. Absolutely no zing to the flavor, just the tint of unchanged fryer oil and bland breading. Popeyes is my new Friday 'treat' lunch. SOOOO much better.

[@sor3999]

I think maybe mid 2010s I thought the pizza seemed different than what I remembered. I haven't had them since the mid 2000s or earlier. In recent years I think it's back to how I used to remember it.

[@sor3999]

@@VladimirPutin-p3t Damn it, I hate that people are eating at Popeye's now. I had it before it was popular because it was crispier and spicier. Now it's getting expensive.

[@Absquatula]

There's that old joke about Taco Bell only having seven ingredients and switching them around to make new products. It makes so much more sense after hearing them not want to fluctuate the price of their staple items, so they just create something to fit the price point that they want. That is genius

[@clista4]

We went there a year ago because they were advertising a new $3 menu. But when we get there, they had a new digital menu, and everything appeared to be like $12-$15. We left and haven't been back since.

[@AgentOffice]

Need to use the app

[@luis0mlg871]

I love this corporate america lore series

[@braddavis3029]

Wait...did Taco Bell win the franchise wars as predicted by Demolition Man?

[@KapinKrunch]

Reliability speed and accuracy are three words I would never say about taco bell

[@nixielee]

Graphics are so well done. Really adds to the end result.

[@DenshaOtoko2]

I can't believe that Demolition Man 1993 starring Sylvester Stallone and Sandra Bullock predicted the future of VR and Taco Bell?

[@Jonnybeeh]

I remember when Baja Blast first dropped when I was 13 or so, I tricked my mom into ordering "bah-juh" blast instead of "bah-hah" blast. It was the funniest thing ever.

[@geebee7529]

Nothing ruins a company for consumers more than appointing bean counters as CEO.

[@hobatronic]

Hilarious that Taco Bell claims they don’t discount core products, they just “create new value products.” As if I didn’t watch new items be introduced at $2 then go up to $6 after a year or so.

[@Scarnehu]

The yakuza name cards are absolutely killing me. Well done video. Can't wait to look at the rest of your work.

[@dust7001]

As someone who moved to SEA, I WISH Taco Bell had a bigger global presence. Every time I am in the US I go straight to the nearest Taco Bell after landing since it's the only thing I can't get in SEA.

[@TheEmpireDabsBack]

I frequently think about that blackjack taco. Truly loved that one. The original volcano tacos were amazing as well.

[@gamescomgamer]

7:50 Dude has no idea were either South Korea or Hong Kong is lol

[@vyneshindenmc6181]

Okay, sabi mo eh.

[@HarshTekie]

That Brian guy is now running Starbucks. and Starbucks just agreed to fly him from Newport Beach to Seattle for $250k a year at Starbucks customer expense.

[@dannycreech4177]

30:50 The way he says "ADIDAS " 😆😂🤣

[@Langtw]

Well, it's hard not to think of it that way when you know the founders name was "Adi (Awe-dee) Dassler (Dawss-ler)"

[@MascaraMasquerade]

I came here looking for this comment. 😂😂😂

[@redonion64]

I can say from experience that the current ceo is awful for the people that work there. I never received more than 16 hours. I was being paid for a position there while working one that should earn me more. The worst part was seeing the General Manager genuinely want to do more only to be shut down by their higher ups. Everyone at Chipotle has this situation, and the work environment suffers for it.

[@Arcanismedia]

When I am blazed af on a Friday night, its not KFC or Pizza Hut I will go for, but Taco Bell.

[@マシュードーラン]

Yea maaaaan Taco Bell gnarly af…you’re a dork 😂

[@RextheRebel]

Went to Taco Bell last night (Dec 17 2024) and ordered 2 cheesy gordita crunches and 1 loaded griller. No drink, just those three items. How much did i pay? 17.78. Almost 20$ for three items. When i got home i had to put cheese on them because there was practically none on my gorditas. I was reminded why i stopped going to Taco Bell three years ago. Its too expensive, the employees are terrible and don't even look at you when handing you your food, the size of the drinks has shrunk, and the amount of cheese you get is basically nothing. You could order no cheese on one item and cheese could be on the other but you'd not be able to tell the difference. Then there is the change in interior. Its so bland and soulless. Not to mention all the menua items they got rid of including the fiery locos taco.

[@AlexADumbDumb]

How does McDonalds think they are gonna get away with charging diner prices? If Denny's starts a drive-through they're gonna be in trouble

[@AMPProf]

1970s taco Reboot? Denny's Pu the grand slam in a sandwich yrp

[@kaiudall2583]

My dennys does have a drive thru 😂

[@wesdogg_]

thank you for making this video. It is nice to hear someone articulate and explain the frustration I've been feeling for the last four years.

[@patrickbateman1660]

Corporate america lore is crazy

[@Zachary_Sweis]

15:45 I love how you used Ryu Vs. Chun-Li in SF4 for Burger King Vs. Wendy's.

[@davidcaylor7484]

Best thing about TB was ordering extra bean burritos... take home and eat days later. But prices have gone up so much I can't justify eating there anymore.

[@jonathanshirley4366]

I was just listening to the video while working on a google doc but when I heard the sound effect at 7:07 I had to tab back in to see what was on screen and I was glad to see it was a Yakuza reference. Always love to see it.

[@abdalhadifitouri131]

That CEO was a true master of the art of pricing. Like generational talent level.

[@jamesmancuso3666]

I love Taco Bell but avoid it currently because the qualilty has massively dropped while price has increased. In the early 90s I could get stuffed for $8 while today I can spend $15 and still want more.

[@GJohnson1981]

Yo... nothing was better than Taco Bell in the 90's... it was a great time all around, but I remember Taco Bell and Wendy's that were my go to's in my early 20's

[@RichV20]

Taco Bell was smart in the late Yo Quiero 90's and the $5 Box 2000's to advertise and cater to the untapped teen and college kids on a budget to build brand loyalty into their career years. Nostalgia for those younger days.

[@evanthompson1517]

Taco Bell had the best value menu in the 90s. $.59 $.79 $.99 Talk about balling on a budget.

[@sor3999]

​@@RichV20 This is why Taco Bell earned a reputation for being "stoner food" because most of the young broke adults were eating there. That and the silly ideas like Doritos Tacos.

[@stonecold3697]

Pepsi's food division wasn't Yum Brands in the 90s. It was Tricon Global Restaurants until 2002. Then renamed to Yum Brands because it bought out Long John Silvers and A&W and wanted the name "Yum!" to reflect it's portfolio.

[@jmelande4937]

He kept saying that tacos were unfamiliar and exotic in the 80’s, which is absolutely false. I’m from a tiny (3,000 people) town in IDAHO and we had a Taco Time and a mom and pop Mexican restaurant. The adjacent “big town” had a Taco Bell. We were very familiar with Mexican food, we had home “taco night” as a treat. My parents first tried tacos in the 1950’s in Boise. Tacos were a treat, and that’s how we viewed Mexican restaurant food. It wasn’t “hearty “. It was cheap and delicious, but NOT a meal. For $8 in today’s money you’d get mostly rice and bean based food that you could make just as well at home, some corn chips, and an éntre that was loaded with cumin and garlic powder, and no matter what you ordered tasted identical. If we wanted a quick cheap snack, we’d go to Taco Bell, but not for a meal. There wasn’t enough meat and veg to call it a meal. If you ate enough Taco Bell to feel satisfied you’d be on the toilet within the hour. If you wanted good hearty Mexican food you’d go to the mom and pop place-which was still mostly rice and beans. Chipotle and Qdoba changed peoples minds about chain restaurant’s Mexican food.

[@fairbanj]

I miss Taco Time. Their deep fried bean and cheese burritos were the BOMB. I remember one holiday season they were selling them on sale for $0.10 each. I guess that means I'm super old lol

[@simfts]

He is talking about Eastern and Midwest United States. Idaho is closer to the west coast which has a larger number of Mexican immigrants. Over in the east coast there are more South American immigrants instead of Mexican immigrants. They are culturally different, however, being both Latino, familiarity is important so that is why they tend to stick to their respective sides.

[@jmelande4937]

@@simfts Idaho is on the Canadian border. It WAS NOT a common destination for Hispanic immigrants before 1990. The Mexican population in Idaho when I lived there was

[@damian99669]

I grew up in Alaska and we had tacos and burritos at home all the time in the 80's and 90's. There was one good local Mexican place and I remember fondly eating taco bell for cheap in the late 90's.

[@coronavirus7319]

15:14 THIS. I went in taco bell only 1 time (cause i don't have them in my town) and i loved it. I looked the menu and had an easy time chosing what to order, at competitors i usually look at menu for a long time to get out full without spending too much.

[@The_Starkindler]

The cheesy double beef burrito sustained me in college. 99 cents for half a 'rito at lunch and the other half at dinner was clutch. They were also the only place in town open after 9pm lol. I have been wondering why Taco Bell has felt so lackluster the last few years, and this really put it all into perspective

[@lucasm7177]

I can't stand the direction of Taco Bell since they decided to try and class up the place. It was fine when it was a cheap place to get bad quality fast food tacos. But to spend 5 bucks for crap tacos, id rather buy some real chorizo and fresh ingredients and cook at home for 10 bucks

[@tyleralberico]

It’s a good day when y’all upload

[@rocistone6570]

06:10"... Unfamilliar and exotic..." Excuse me? Anyone who lived in California, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico or any large city where there were Mexican restaurants knew very well what these food items were. So, on this point, you are quite full of "Queso."

[@xeno_dork]

Been loving this series’ coverage of the Yum! Brands canon. While it might not have been pertinent to this video, I couldn’t help but feel the absence of any mention of Long John Silver’s, another (former) Yum! Brand from part of the era covered here. Perhaps being saved for another future video covering LJS…?? 🤞🤞

[@donkeysaurusrex7881]

Long John Silver’s is great

[@genjii931]

Also A&W.

[@timrift]

I almost legit bite my iPhone watching this before bed😂😂

[@josephpurdy8390]

When I worked for Pizza Hut the buffet was the busiest. It was only offered at lunch. We would have a line around the building. All you can eat breadsticks, salad, and pizza. They should adopt a salad and breadstick option. No cheeses or meats. This will help with keeping expensive topping orders from going unsold. The cost for everything except lettuce has already been bought.

[@sor3999]

Shakey's and Rountable Pizza still do this. Most of the big names like Pizza Hut and Dominoes are basically take out only with a tiny store hidden away. They might as well be a ghost kitchen at this point.

[@OzoneVisuals]

16:38 I miss the old Chipotle Chicken Loaded Griller!! I used to order 3 of those as the bulk of my orders before COVID :(

[@handlesarestupid154]

If they still had them, 3 of them would probably cost $15 nowadays

[@MaximGhost]

Taco Bell selling USA's warped version of tacos in Mexico is 100% a Chad move.

[@erickalcala5642]

Taco Bell actually failed in Mexico TWICE. They first tried to enter the country in 1992, by opening a store in Mexico City, they had to change the name of the menu, for example tacos were called “Tacostadas”, at the end they left after 2 years. Then, in 2007, they tried entering again in Monterrey, accepting that they were not a Mexican restaurant and that they were American food. They also failed and left the country once again. They haven’t tried to enter the country again and they probably won’t try it in the foreseeable future. Mexicans in Mexico don’t like Taco Bell.

[@MaximGhost]

@@erickalcala5642 Ha, that's funny. Taco Bell may as well called their tacos "gringo tacos" in Mexico ... the locals there would have at least appreciated the joke.

[@MoonFairy929]

So well done. And now Taco Bell is sooo expensive. Such a gouge. I never eat there. Right about price points. A bean burrito used to be a buck, or in the recession like .29. I cannot spend $2+ on one. So I never go anymore.

[@cuseyeti_one8three]

I’m at the Pizza Hut! I’m at the Taco Bell! I’m at the combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell!

[@amberrj.]

Taco Bell's insane price hike is legitimately depressing AF. 😅😢 I couldn't believe my fckin eyes the last time i saw their prices!

[@akiblue]

I liked taco bell in the 90s, 5 years ago I moved to a rural area and the only options were McD's, Tim Hortons and Wendy's, so I was excited when I saw a new Taco Bell going up close to me. The first time I went, I ordered a beef burrito. I noticed that it was as skinny as a spring roll. I unrolled it to see what was inside and it was basically a paintbrush worth of beef and a quarter teaspoon's worth of cheese. I really gave them the benefit of the doubt because they were a brand new franchise and maybe didn't know, I complained but left it at that. It's been a couple years now and I've been there three more times. Everytime hoping that they would get it right but every single time it's just a tortilla with nothing inside that I get. I haven't been to any other locations in a while but I assume, like KFC's decision to cut the chicken up into 12 pieces, from the standard 9 pieces, and still call it a "piece" that it is Yum brands that is directing them to put nothing in the burrito anymore. Restaurant brands international has destroyed Tim Hortons Burger King and they're starting to destroy Popeyes.

[@nerychristian]

Unfortunately the rise in minimum wage is destroying those places. Restaurants can barely afford to pay teenagers $15 hr. In some cities the minimum wage is close to $20 hr

[@akiblue]

@nerychristian yeah, it's totally the workers' fault. Those poor multinational corporations can't keep their heads above water with the average cost of a $2.00 rise in minimum wage accounting for 0.89% rise of their gross expenses. Greedy workers.

[@jburch5752]

I found this fascinating. I live in the Southwest where Mexican food is very commonplace. I never thought about the difficulty of convincing everyone outside the Southwest to buy this type of food. Much of it is very stylized and not Mexican tradition except for burritos, tostadas and their namesake tacos.

[@heiseheise]

I used to live in the middle east. There were no "tex-mex" style places anywhere (until I saw this video I didn't realize that was a global thing) and I chocked it up to the idea of Jordanians being told to pay American prices for rice, beans, and a thinner less substantial version of their pita (khubiz). I'm sure most Arabs would have laughed such proposals out of the office. KFC and Pizza Hut and the two big burger chains were common in Amman - Arabs loved "American food" but Taco Bell was not viewed as such.

[@itayluh7228]

Your content is always appreciated, keep up the great work