How is Taco Bell still in business? (tastes, salt, cinnamon)
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Anyone eaten at Taco Cabana? It's a chain in Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma. It's not bad, maybe somewhere between Taco Bell and Chipotle.
I guess people who are all high and mighty or those who have never actually gone hungry are the ones saying starving is better than Taco Bell.
Is Taco Bell gourmet food? No, but it's not meant to be.
I've been a few places where the starving children would love to be able to eat Taco Bell. How they begged us for energy bars, bottles of clean water, etc.
I've gone hungry myself. When you go on a 3-4 day patrol without a resupply, you have to carry all of your food and water with you. How much weight can you really carry for miles and miles for days at a time? You start making cuts and food is one of them because you can't cut water and you can't drink water out of the wells.
My skinny father would have definitely hoovered up some Taco Bell in the 1930s.
My husband told me about training with the army when his next meal was in the cache at the correct coordinates. Yep, hill and dale. Which mountain and which stream? The cache also contained a map, yes a map, to the next cache and the next meal.
Some people don't know anything about hunger. Me? I've never been that hungry in my life.
Given a choice of fast food restaurants, Taco Bell wouldn't be #1...or two, or three.
First off besides Chipotle, not all are nationwide. That would be like me complaining that McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's shouldn't be in business because Jack in the Box and Whataburger are better. Chipotle's problem (well other than e-coil) is they aren't cheap at all. Chipotle is fast-casual compared to Taco Bell's Tex-Mex McDonald's model. Most food we eat aren't healthy but that is because for whatever reason, good for you food is more expensive for a family to buy. I hear the strawman that it isn't the case but besides replacing soda with water, tell me how is buying a week's worth of fresh veggies less expensive than canned or frozen or how fruits meant to last the week last longer (in a freshness sense) than a bag of chips...
Like White Castle, Taco Bell can be nostalgic. (Whatever happened to the "Yo Quiero..." dog and the "Make a Run For the Border" ad campaign?) It's a place that seems like it's always been there and they're all over - a familiar place to stop.
It wasn't that bad of an ad campaign. However, 1) it seems like more than one company has avoiding using previous ad campaigns despite how well they worked. Perhaps there's something in marketing where they need to constantly shake things up. 2) "Make a Run For the Border" is probably too big of a political issue given the ongoing election events.
The differences between Mexican and Tex-Mex food can be summed up in the use of a few key ingredients found in the US that are scarcely used anywhere South of the Rio Grande. These ingredients are: beef, yellow cheese (like cheddar), wheat flour, black beans, canned vegetables (especially tomatoes), and cumin.
IIRC, dishes like chimchangas also originated north of TX, and aren't found in authentic Mexican food.
I'm often on the run so I appreciate Taco Bell for its drive thru, as well as the option to have Pepsi. Also I love their bean and cheese burritos. I get them plain (no red sauce, no onions), but then I have them add lettuce and tomato. Quite tasty. Occasionally I enjoy the 7 layer burrito as well.
Nearest Chipotle: 27.2 miles, have to drive into Nashville.
Nearest Baja Fresh: 27.7 miles. Ditto.
Nearest Qdoba: 24.7 miles. Ditto.
-Was 12.1 miles but said location closed.
Nearest Taco Bell: 3.4 miles.
That's the reason I go to Taco Bell. It's very rare for me to drive over 15 miles even for a sit down restaurant. Fast food like Taco Bell should be within 5 miles. I'm 23, if I was a bit older those mileage limitations would probably be a bit higher.
yeah, some folks may need to drive 30 minutes to 2 hours just to get to one of those better tasting, Mexican fast casual joints. Luckily, I can still get Mexican food from local, non-chain Mexican restaurants joints. However, $5 for 3 tacos, beans and rice, and a drink at Cocina Caliente ain't too shabby. Speaking of which....
Quote:
Originally Posted by WIHS2006
Because Taco Bell doesent charge me almost $13 for a burrito and a soda like Chipotle does.
What area are you in where a burrito + drink costs $13!? Last I visited a Chipotle in southern CA, Chipotle "skyrocketed" to $8.5 for a chicken burrito (still remember a decade ago how a chicken burrito was under $5). I often don't pay attention to drinks (almost never buy them), but it couldn't possibly be $4, with sales tax on top of that!
One wonders with Chipolte, BajaFresh, Qdoba, etc actually offering fresh mexican food options (including meat that looks like meat!), how do people seriously still choose Taco Bell? They're not much cheaper, none of them are 100% authentic, but at least you feel like you've eaten actual food.
Discloser: I also hate Chipolte too, but it's a matter of personal taste in my case. Qdoba is the best of all.
I think you are comparing them to the wrong restaurants. The ones you mention are more expensive, and typically not drive through. The real comparison is with McDonald's, Jack In the Box and Wendys...FAST food that is cheap (relatively) and where you don't even need to leave your car. In that scenario, its because TB is the only choice if you want something other than a burger.
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Chipotle's problem (well other than e-coil) is they aren't cheap at all. Chipotle is fast-casual compared to Taco Bell's Tex-Mex McDonald's model. Most food we eat aren't healthy but that is because for whatever reason, good for you food is more expensive for a family to buy. I hear the strawman that it isn't the case but besides replacing soda with water, tell me how is buying a week's worth of fresh veggies less expensive than canned or frozen or how fruits meant to last the week last longer (in a freshness sense) than a bag of chips...
