Taco Bell Is Rolling Out Breakfast Tots, But There's A Catch
Perhaps the biggest innovation Taco Bell has pulled off has been the introduction of its breakfast menu. Not content to simply serve up Crunchwraps and Taco Supremes for lunch and dinner, the Tex-Mex juggernaut has been offering Southwest-themed eats in the morning since 2014, and only two years later, the early morning menu accounted for 10% of the chain's business, according to QSR. Fast forward to today and after a brief pause for the pandemic in 2020, Taco Bell breakfast is still getting hungry eaters in the door, according to National Restaurant News, perhaps in part thanks to a recent ad campaign with Pete Davidson.
The secret to Taco Bell's breakfast success is not just about giving customers an alternative to other fast food breakfast menus or a buzzy celebrity spokesperson. The chain also has an innate ability to riff on its own menu. Take, for example, its newest breakfast item: Breakfast Tots. Beginning on Thursday, November 16, you can get a bowl of Mexican-seasoned tots (which we imagine are at least somewhat similar to the chain's popular potatoes) layered with scrambled eggs and either bacon or sausage and topped with a mix of cheeses. There's a catch, however — they'll only be around for a limited time, and you can only get these tots if you live in Chicago.
Chicago is one of Taco Bell's favorite test markets
If you want to get a taste of Taco Bell's latest breakfast offering and you live in the CHI, good news: You can get your hands on a bowl of hot new tots for $3.49 to $4.49 (depending on whether you choose sausage or bacon) for a limited time. The tots are covered in mozzarella, pepper jack, and cheddar cheese — this combo of potatoes and cheese is reminiscent of the chain's Fiesta Potatoes as well as its fan-favorite Nacho Fries, which launched in 2018 and have gone on to see several iterations and special releases.
Chicagoans might notice that Taco Bell loves to try out new products in the Windy City. While its actual headquarters are in southern California, the company has launched multiple products in Chicago, including alcoholic drinks in 2015. Customers who try the new tots will likely decide if the new breakfast bites stick around for good, so be sure to get to your local store between the hours of 6:00 and 11:00 a.m. (aka when Taco Bell serves breakfast) to give them a try with your next order of breakfast tacos before they're gone.