Whether it's filled with kimchi, or combined with a chalupa, or even made with Kit-Kats, a quesadilla at Taco Bell has more to it than you might think.
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00:00Whether it's filled with kimchi, or combined with a chalupa, or even made with Kit Kats,
00:05a quesadilla at Taco Bell has more to it than you might think.
00:09There's no shortage of places to grab a delicious quesadilla nowadays, and the food's ubiquitous
00:13presence is easy to understand. After all, a griddle-cooked tortilla is an incredibly
00:18effective delivery method for whatever fillings you could want. There's no limit to what can
00:23be in a quesadilla, but the classics like cheese, chicken, and beef are classic for
00:27a reason. So, as of December 2022, Taco Bell's menu offers three standard quesadilla options
00:33to U.S. diners — chicken, steak, and cheese. Each standard Taco Bell quesadilla contains
00:39a three-cheese blend and creamy jalapeno sauce, so the only discernible difference between
00:44types is the protein.
00:45The lack of distinction between quesadillas isn't a bad thing, though, since it simplifies
00:49the process for restaurant staff, which helps customers get their food on time. Actually,
00:54some key differences do exist between Taco Bell's standard quesadillas — namely, the
00:59cost. While the cheese-only quesadilla's lower price of $3.99 is expected, we were
01:05somewhat surprised to see the steak quesadilla cost 60 cents more than its chicken counterpart,
01:10as of December 2022. Then again, since a 2022 beef shortage led to a 15 percent price increase
01:16for beef by September of that year, the reason behind the different quesadilla prices is
01:21no real mystery at all.
01:22When something's existed for a relatively long time, it can be hard to remember what
01:30life was like before that thing came around. We certainly feel that one of those things
01:34is Taco Bell's quesadillas. Frankly, the now-staple menu item is so ingrained in the fast food
01:39restaurant's identity that, from time to time, we still need to remind ourselves it wasn't
01:44on the original menu. Some Reddit users recalled the occasional limited-time quesadilla promotion
01:49running in the 1990s, but that isn't quite accurate. Taco Bell didn't offer the griddle-cooked
01:55quesadilla nationwide until 2001, when it first advertised its then-new chicken quesadilla.
02:01Interestingly, for such a popular item, there's very little information available regarding
02:05the initial sale of Taco Bell's quesadillas. Sure, several commercials from 2001 announcing
02:10the chicken quesadilla's release can be found, like this one, along with follow-up commercials
02:15releasing soon after in following years. But beyond that, we came up largely empty-handed
02:21regarding the development of, and thought process behind, Taco Bell's quesadillas.
02:26Not that we necessarily need to know all the details surrounding Taco Bell's fateful decision.
02:31After all, it's clear the quesadilla won't be disappearing from the Taco Bell menu anytime
02:35soon — and two decades after it first appeared, that's really all that matters.
02:40We can't imagine many folks disagree with the idea that Taco Bell has taken its Think
02:44Outside the Bun slogan to heart. But the fast food restaurant's commitment to avoiding
02:48bun-based food items isn't the only way it seems to follow the wisdom in its catchphrase.
02:54After all, Taco Bell has a long history of thinking outside the box as well, and doing
02:58the unexpected when it comes to menu items. This includes introducing the Quesarito in
03:03June 2014, which combined a quesadilla and burrito into one mashed-up masterpiece.
03:09Now, if you've never had the unparalleled pleasure of eating a Taco Bell Quesarito,
03:13you can probably envision the experience. After all, a beef, rice, cheese, and sour
03:18cream-filled burrito is a delectable delight all on its own. But taking that burrito and
03:23wrapping it inside a quesadilla? It's like a gift straight from heaven.
03:27While we were sorely disappointed to discover the Quesarito was removed from menus in 2020,
03:32the news wasn't all bad. Because while the item was taken off of menus at its actual
03:36restaurants, the Quesarito remains available for purchase on Taco Bell's online exclusive
03:41menu as of December 2022.
03:43Hell yeah! Hey, come on, baby! Come on! Yes!
03:50Despite what some may believe, there's no real requirement when it comes to a quesadilla's
03:54filling, at least, according to the Mexican-Spanish Dictionary. Though many Americans likely assume
03:59that a quesadilla has to include some kind of cheese, since the name seemingly combines
04:04queso and tortilla, that isn't actually the case. In Mexico City, for example, the food
04:09is actually served sans cheese unless requested by the customer.
04:13Given this lack of restrictions, Taco Bell deciding to test a dessert quesadilla in select
04:18U.S. markets in 2017 is slightly less bizarre than it might sound. Their attempt, however,
04:23still might catch you a bit off-guard. The Chocodilla, which is a quesadilla filled with
04:28Kit Kat bars. Now, we really do remember when Taco Bell tested the Chocodilla, which featured
04:33Kit Kat candy pieces and melted chocolate grilled inside a tortilla. But given its lack
04:37of longevity beyond a short test run, we assumed the Taco Bell dessert item was nothing more
04:42than a short-lived experiment. However, according to Taco Bell, the Chocodilla is still sold
04:48in seven different countries outside the U.S. as of 2022, including Guatemala, Costa Rica,
04:54and Spain.
04:55We suppose it's nice that the option to gorge yourself on a chocolatey, non-savory quesadilla
04:59still exists around the world. Then again, since we're struggling to wrap our minds and
05:03taste buds around the notion of melted candy inside a grilled tortilla, we're not exactly
05:08sprinting to grab our passports and try one.
05:11Taco Bell has never seemed comfortable resting on the laurels of existing Mexican dishes.
05:15Sure, tacos, burritos, and quesadillas make up the core components of its menu, but the
05:20consistent addition of absurd items, which often seem like the work of a madman stitching
05:25together different foods, illustrates a clear ability to innovate. This includes several
05:29quasi-quesadilla creations introduced by the fast-food chain, such as a smaller shredded
05:35chicken quesadilla melt, which was just introduced in December of 2022. Now, the quesarito may
05:40be the best-known example, but it certainly wasn't Taco Bell's only attempt to combine
05:45its quesadilla with another menu item. In fact, the chain's taken multiple swings at
05:49creating quesadilla-like items through the years, and even publicly prioritized the improvement
05:55of its melted cheese when introducing the quesalupa in 2016.
05:59Like many other items, the quesalupa — a part quesadilla, part chalupa hybrid — has
06:04made intermittent appearances on the menu since its initial release. In that sense,
06:09maybe Taco Bell just can't stop itself from adding melted cheese and a grilled tortilla
06:13to its items, no matter how long that item may really end up surviving on the menu.
06:19You might not expect a restaurant known for its gut-busting options — like steak white
06:23hot ranch fries — to offer many healthy options to consumers. But, just because Taco
06:28Bell often embraces the less-nutritious side of Mexican cuisine doesn't mean health-conscious
06:33diners should avoid the restaurant at all costs. After all, as shown by its fairly robust
06:38vegetarian menu, Taco Bell can be much healthier than you might think — at times. So, while
06:43we wouldn't necessarily call Taco Bell's quesadillas healthy, its standard varieties aren't nearly
06:48as bad for your health as you'd expect from a fast food item.
06:51For starters, each standard Taco Bell quesadilla — which includes cheese, steak, and chicken
06:57— comes with a good amount of calcium, iron, and protein. Additionally, since its creamy
07:01jalapeno sauce is the likely culprit of the item's nutritional deficiencies, asking for
07:06light or no sauce can reduce the calorie and fat intake in Taco Bell's quesadillas even
07:10further.
07:11Now, we want to be clear that the standard Taco Bell quesadillas make for a somewhat
07:15healthier option, not just any sort of quesadilla hybrid item. And, according to CNN, the best
07:21option may actually be a smaller chicken quesadilla variety, rather than the full-sized
07:26thing.
07:27To say taste preferences vary by country and culture isn't exactly a new thought. With
07:35that said, from an international brand's perspective, that knowledge is downright essential to long-term
07:40growth and sustainability.
07:42The decision-makers at Taco Bell obviously understand this, which helps explain why different
07:48are offered in different countries. Of course, the presumed logic behind Taco Bell's decision
07:52not to offer some of its internationally sold quesadillas in the U.S. is easy to see. For
07:57example, the Chocodilla we mentioned earlier didn't last in the U.S., but succeeded in
08:02other countries. When it comes to other items, though, we're a little less understanding.
08:07Take the pulled pork quesadilla available in the United Kingdom, for example. We love
08:11the sound of that item and abhor our inability to order it on this side of the pond. The
08:16same goes for the popular kimchi quesadilla in South Korea, which accounted for 10 percent
08:20of Taco Bell's total sales in the country in 2016.
08:24We're not entirely sure why corporate brands feel the need to try and be cool in the 21st
08:29century, but we blame social media. After all, we can't even begin to count the number
08:33of times we've witnessed a corporate social media account utterly embarrass itself by
08:38trying to seem like part of the young, cool crowd.
08:40How do you do, fellow kids?
08:44What?
08:45Then again, not all attempts to appeal to modern consumers are cringy. Like Taco Bell
08:49offering quesadilla menu hacks on its website for customers to use, for example. Secret
08:54menu hacks have had a bit of a moment in recent years, so Taco Bell getting in on the action
08:58is no surprise. Now, if we're being honest, the fact that the chain only provides a couple
09:04of possible quesadilla hacks felt a bit underwhelming. But since both quesadilla hacks sound fantastic,
09:10we're not inclined to be too harsh towards the bell in this instance. Additionally, Taco
09:15Bell encourages customers to share their own personal quesadilla hacks with the restaurant
09:19on social media. Frankly, we can't help but salute Taco Bell's willingness to encourage
09:23customer customization, and wish more companies would follow its lead.
09:28When Taco Bell decided to throw its hat into the fast food breakfast ring in 2014, we reacted
09:33with little more than a shrug. We don't mean to denigrate the Mexican chain's breakfast
09:37menu, of course. Rather, we simply figured it was about time such a large fast food company
09:42expanded to their early morning hours. Now, while its breakfast announcement was far from
09:46unexpected, its lack of a breakfast quesadilla option before 2017 was utterly jaw-dropping.
09:52Our apologies for the momentary hyperbole, but we still can't believe a breakfast quesadilla
09:57wasn't among the restaurant's initial AM offerings, given the food-central place at Taco Bell.
10:02Of course, since Taco Bell now sells a folded-over tortilla filled with scrambled eggs,
10:06meat, and cheese, we might as well recover from the shock and move on.
10:10Somehow, the breakfast quesadilla still wasn't on Taco Bell's permanent menu when it was included
10:15in the $5 breakfast box. Luckily, there's now a standalone bacon breakfast quesadilla
10:20that has been on the menu since December 2022. Fingers crossed it stays that way.
10:25"...all right, fingers crossed."
10:28The rise of fake meat over the past 10 years has been fairly astonishing to witness.
10:32We're not complaining by any means, but if you told us in 2010 that a slew of convincing
10:37fake meat products would be available by the end of the decade, we can't say we would have
10:41believed you. Clearly, though, fake meat isn't going anywhere, and Taco Bell is jumping on the
10:46trends. Taco Bell collaborated with Beyond Meat to release a steak quesadilla made with Beyond
10:51Steak in September 2022. Of course, as is often the case with these things, the Beyond Steak
10:56quesadilla was relegated to a limited-time release specific to Dayton, Ohio, for this initial run.
11:02So while us non-Ohio residents will have to wait our turn to sample the Beyond Steak at Taco Bell,
11:07we're willing to wait. Then again, since the new quesadilla reportedly hit all the expected flavor
11:12notes found in a regular steak quesadilla, we just might have to plan a road trip to Dayton ASAP.