Pay más.
Taco Bell fans are skipping out on their former fast food fave as prices proceed to climb amid inflation and price of living pressures.
One former ride-or-die, who “was once loyal to the brand as a teen,” sparked a serious debate online after finding a faded 2012 receipt from the favored chain — putting into relief just how far more expensive a run for the border has turn out to be in only over a decade.
Aspiring rapper LovelyOcean snagged 630,000 hits on a downer of a TikTok post this week, captioned “I’m so upset,” where she revealed the incriminating slip of paper that showed her paying just $2.59 for 2 beefy five-layer burritos.
At Taco Bell in 2024, just one among the go-to gut bombs reportedly costs $3.59.
“Are you able to even get anything from Taco Bell for $2.59,” she asked.
“Where did we go improper?”
Hundreds chimed in to share similar sentiments regarding their former favorite fast foodery.
“That is gonna make me cry,” said one unhappy customer.
“Got Taco Bell last night and so they had raised the costs again and the burritos were half the traditional size and cold. Just sadness as a substitute of comfort food,” an unsatisfied eater mourned.
“Taco Bell was the one place I could go to with two teenage boys and really get them enough to eat. Now I can’t even afford to take myself!” a cash-strapped critic complained.
Some employees of the Irvine, Calif.-based chain even stopped by the comments to commiserate.
“As someone who works at Taco Bell, I believe the costs are crazy. Someone got ten items for nearly 60 dollars and so they were the cheaper options,” one said.
Still others identified that the menu still accommodates some great deals.
“My favorite Taco Bell item TODAY is the cheesy bean and rice burrito with creamy jalapeño sauce priced at a crisp $1 ma’am,” one supporter chimed in.
After all, where you reside in the US could make a difference in what a meal costs nowadays — a recent study revealed that fast food takeout prices can vary greatly from state to state.
NetCredit, which researched the prices in all fifty states, found that Delaware residents consistently paid the least for his or her Taco Bell trips — 10.41% lower than the national average. Alaskans paid essentially the most, at 16.40% above the median.
Overall, higher costs — and viral complaints — haven’t done anything to harm the corporate’s bottom line, it appears.
In line with Nation’s Restaurant News, Taco Bell smashed a lot of growth and sales records last 12 months, leaving parent Yum Brands feeling good about their possibilities in 2024.
“The business is, obviously, on a roll,” Yum CEO David Gibbs said in an earnings call late last 12 months.
Pushback from fast food customers has turn out to be something of a trend within the era of inflation — a $16 lunch check from an Idaho McDonald’s left a foul taste in a single diner’s mouth, sparking a serious conversation online after they decided to go public.
“It’s officially not convenient or inexpensive anymore,” one former Mickey D’s fan moaned.
