When it first launched in 1962 in a Los Angeles suburb called Downey, Yum! Brands (YUM) -owned Taco Bell had just five items on its menu: frijoles, tostados, chili burgers, burritos with two choices of sauce, and the crunchy taco.
In the decades that followed, the Tex-Mex fast-food chain supplemented its base menu, leaning into a rotating menu of constant new items and promotions that one has to try.
Most recently, Taco Bell added the Mountain Dew Baja Midnight to its permanent drinks menu (alongside a limited-time frozen version), while also bringing back the Cheesy Street Chalupas it retired in 2024.
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The 2000s are calling with these five returning Taco Bell dishes
In October 2024, Taco Bell also tried something different with a Decades menu of items that had been sold at its stores at different points in the chain’s history — for several months, customers could order the Tostada from the 1960s, Green Burrito from the 1970s, Meximelt from the 1980s, Gordita Supreme from the 1990s, or Caramel Apple Empanada from the 2000s.
As first reported by fast- and snack-food watchdog Snackolator, a new version of the Decades menu is set to return, a year after the launch of the first one in October.
This time, it will feature exclusively items from what to some are the not-so-distant 2000s — the 7-Layer Burrito, the Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Tacos, the Chili Cheese Burrito, and the Caramel Apple Empanadas.
Related: Taco Bell just added a new cheesy favorite
“Taco Bell saw McDonald’s and KFC bring back a fan request and said screw that — we’ll bring back an ENTIRE MENU!” Snackolator wrote.
With the exception of Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Tacos, which are a later version of a classic 2000s-era dish, each of these items was sold at Taco Bell locations at some point throughout that decade.
A taco shell filled with beef and toppings and then covered in a separate sheet of tortilla, the Double Decker Taco, was added to Taco Bell’s permanent menu in 2006 and was periodically brought back after being discontinued in 2019. The 7-Layer Burrito is an early vegetarian classic with refried beans and seasoned rice in a tortilla wrap.
Image source: Taco Bell
Nostalgia is very strong in the fast-food world right now
While these items were among the many unveiled at the Live Más Live event last February in Las Vegas, Taco Bell has yet to officially confirm exact dates and whether this is actually what it will feature on the new Decades menu.
Nostalgia has in recent years become a strong selling point for multiple fast-food chains. Following the success of its purple Grimace campaign in 2023, McDonald’s (MCD) just launched the McDonaldland Meal featuring more classic characters like Ronald McDonald, Hamburglar, and Mayor McCheese.
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Amid numerous petitions and fan campaigns clamoring for their return, KFC has also recently brought back two viral items from the 1990s that were discontinued in later years: the potato wedges and Hot & Spicy chicken wings. The “HERE DAMN” social media post of a single potato wedge that the chain put out to announce their return was viewed more than 55 million times.
