Taco Bell to launch Cantina Chicken menu nationwide

Dive Brief:

Taco Bell will roll out its Cantina Chicken menu nationwide on March 21, the company said in a press release Thursday.
The new menu offers five items, and Taco Bell rewards members have exclusive access to the Cantina Chicken Crispy Taco and Cantina Chicken Quesadilla starting Thursday.
The Cantina Chicken menu is part of Taco Bell’s 2024 menu innovation, which it previously revealed in February through its Live Mas event. Additional menu items on the docket this year include the Cheesy Chicken Crispanada, Crispy Chicken Nuggets and Cheesy Street Chalupas.

Dive Insight:

Taco Bell is leaning on premium ingredients with this menu launch and added a new Avocado Salsa Verde, which uses tomatillos, green chili peppers and avocado pulp, to coincide with the Cantina Chicken items. Taco Bell also plans to use over 2.5 million pounds of additional produce this year because of the new items’ ingredients, which include shredded purple cabbage and fresh-made pico de gallo.

“We knew our fans wanted more chicken, and we also knew that we could elevate chicken with unexpected ingredients like purple cabbage and Avocado Verde Salsa,” said Liz Matthews, global chief food innovation officer at Taco Bell.

The items range in price from $2.99 for a taco to $7.99 for the Cantina Chicken Bowl, showcasing how Taco Bell is balancing value with premium ingredients. Earlier this year, the chain expanded its value menu with six new items and made a veggie combo permanent.

Unlike chains like McDonald’s, Taco Bell U.S. hasn’t seen a decline in low-income consumers. The chain actually saw low-income trade areas outperform the rest of the business, Yum CEO David Gibbs said during the company’s Q4 2023 earnings call.

Taco Bell, which surpassed $15 billion in sales globally last year, remains one of Yum’s largest businesses at 75% of the U.S. divisional operating profit. The segment also reported 3% growth in same-store sales during Q4 and 15% growth on a two-year basis.

“With an unprecedented range of exciting innovations launching this year, including at least one new product every five weeks, twice the rate of 2023, I'm confident Taco Bell will remain a brand icon for years to come,” Gibbs said.