Taco Bell

Fans of pro hoops won't be going "in the bonus" when it comes to free tacos this playoff season. Back on May 26, fast-food giant Taco Bell announced that it would be giving away free Doritos Locos tacos to customers nationwide if a visiting team manages to win a game on its opponent’s home turf during the…

Back on May 16, when the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder rolled into Oakland, California, and defeated the heavily favored Golden State Warriors, 108-102, in the home team's own building, the victorious visitors had no idea of the hope they would bring to countless Americans.Not just Thunder fans, mind you, but fans of free tacos all…

On the menu, it's called the "gringo," and it has all the familiar markings: ground beef, shredded yellow cheese and, most tellingly, a crunchy hard tortilla.No self-respecting Mexican would go for some corny hard-shell taco like this, particularly one filled with ground beef. 'Tis the antithesis of auténtico. It's hardly even a taco — it's…

Taco Bell is used to being the butt of jokes. As far back as 1998, The Onion was mocking the fast-food chain with an article titled “Taco Bell's Five Ingredients Combined in Totally New Way,” which satirically bragged about the invention of the Grandito, “with its ground beef on top of the cheese but under…

Two weeks ago, members of the Food Republic staff received an email from representatives of KFC, along with an invitation to an event promising to reveal news “that will affect the future of one of the world’s most iconic brands.” The fried-chicken chain even went so far as to state that this “transformational announcement…may be…

Taco Bell, Domino's and McDonald's are the most innovative companies in food for 2016, according to influential business magazine Fast Company's annual superlatives list. Taco Bell — which also ranks among Fast Company's top 10 of all companies — gets big props for "operating like a tech company." Yes, you can order your Quesalupa via an app. Ditto Domino's,…

Welcome to the afternoon roundup! If it happened in food today, it’s news to us. Here are a few stories that have caught our attention. Beer: Renowned ice cream smiths Ben & Jerry’s teamed up with New Belgium to develop their first craft beer, set to be released this fall. Will you be picking chunks…

[caption id="attachment_76324" align="alignnone" width="700" ] Duke’s mayonnaise has an especially fervent following in the South.[/caption] Welcome to the afternoon roundup! If it happened in food today, it’s news to us. Here are a few stories that have caught our attention. Condiments: Love it or hate it, mayonnaise is undoubtedly a polarizing condiment in the U.S.…

This week, amidst a summer lull in food news, Taco Bell dropped kids meals and toys from its menu, but not to appease those health-conscious parents worried about unhealthy food marketing to children. Instead the company claimed the kids meals didn't fit in with its “edgy twenty-something brand.” Whatever the reason, the move is sure…

The Chipotle effect is in full effect. In what we can only assume is a response to the burrito roller’s sweeping popularity, Taco Bell has announced that they are testing a health-conscious “Power Protein” menu. Nation’s Restaurant News reports that the trials begin on July 25 at an "about 40" locations in Dayton, Ohio. Which…

I did a double-take when I opened up the box Doritos sent us earlier this week. Inside were two bags of what appeared to be Nacho Cheese and Cool Ranch...only they were so much more. They were limited-edition Taco Bell Doritos Locos Tacos-flavored Doritos. ::head explodes:: We cracked open the bags, which is an interesting…

It’s a rare week in food politics when the news is overwhelmingly positive. In a battle between Taco Bell and vegetables, vegetables won; drink industry giant PepsiCo agreed to remove a flame retardant from Gatorade thanks to one teenager’s petition and the CDC announced a measured drop in foodborne illnesses. This is the food politics…

Taco Bell has partnered with “celebrity chef" Lorena Garcia (a real Latin chef) to unveil the Cantina Bowl. This new option, which appears in other ads but not this one, seems to be a taco salad without any fried tortilla chips and no visible dressing. So basically it’s a bowl of taco condiments. De-licious. This…

After the infamous Jack in the Box E. Coli breakout in the '90s, during which four people died from tainted meat, Americans have become at least somewhat suspicious about the safety of fast food. Suspicious enough to stop eating at fast food chains completely? Clearly not — last we checked McDonald’s was thriving. Nonetheless, the…

We’re big fans of Chicago DJs The Hood Internet—we interviewed them for our recent DJ Week where they dropped some knowledge about Rap Snacks and The Chi’s great unsung cooking show Cookin' Wit' Tittle. These dudes are no food luddites. Whether it’s hitting up their favorite taco stand in Austin or New York’s favorite late-night…