I got a $9 Discovery Box today, same thing as I always order. Mountain Dew Baja Midnight upsized to a large for a 25 cents upcharge and sub the Cinnamon Twists for Chips and Nacho Cheese. Always $9.25.
Today, I got a $9 Discovery Box with the new dipping burritos with garlic sauce, the upsize to a large was $0.50 not $0.25 (so they doubled the cost of upsizing the medium to a large and to substitute the Cinnamon Twists for Chips and Nacho Cheese, which has ALWAYS been free, I had to pay $1.25. On top of this, they didn’t even give me a taco in the box when the discovery box typically has 4 items.
I understand that they included a chalupa, but the dipping burrito was very unfilling, tiny and gone in a few bites so a taco should’ve still been included in the box for the price. What kind of value is this Taco Bell?
Yea they clearly have the data that people change to chips and cheese and that's why we are getting charged more for it. Ridiculous.
That is utter dogshit… especially with the pathetic amount of chips they gave you.
Every Taco Bell I've been to always gives me way too many chips and not nearly enough cheese.
Have you discovered the beef nachos yet? For around $3/$4 (varies per TB) you get 2-3 times more chips.
And, surprise! It’s being removed from the menu
Not to worry, they will bring it back as a LTO later on and it will cost $1-2 more.
wtf
Yeah i got them before, made a post about them on the taco bell subreddit a few months ago. I thought they were supposed to leave awhile ago, surprised they haven’t yet. But yeah, pretty good bang for your buck besides the fact they get soggy in 2 seconds.
Quesarito is so average too I’m really starting to hate Taco Bell again tbh
I feel that. Previous 9 dollar box had an extra item. Now we get charged to sub out that trash cinnamon twist, even if we do, half the time we get half a bag full of chips or half a container of cheese. Quesarito was good but not worth 5.50.
Mine is charging two dollars to change from cinnamon twists to chips and cheese
I was pissed about $1.25 but $2 is actually INSANE. It doesn’t take much to make, it’s one small side of chips in a small bag (and you don’t even get that many chips) and a small cup of nacho cheese sauce.
I’m still trying to understand how the beefy nachos are cheaper than chips and cheese…..
It’s not about the cost. It’s because they know people want chips and cheese over twists.
2.99 in NYC… I was shocked when I saw it today.
I’m surprised my mine store ISN’T charging $2.. They charge like $3 for it by itself.. I swear my TB may be one of the most expensive ones.
Mine is a 49 cent charge for the $5 box, but $1.30 to change it in the $7 box or the $9 box. What genius is running Taco Bell
It's bad value
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Yeah the chips and cheese upcharge is egregious. It’s already $11 for the discovery box in my area and an additional dollar to swap is just outrageous.
Sounds like the start of a downfall like what’s been happening with other fast food chains. It’s already expensive and they’re nickel and dimming. Up charge for 7 chips and a little bit of cheese! This makes me think of how i stopped going Wendy’s. I’m worried it will just keep getting worse like Wendy’s
The chips are like the minimum legal definition of tortilla chips, utterly devoid of flavor. Can't believe they are charging that much (or anything)
Exactly why I am skipping this box. I only get the discovery box and these upcharges with one less item is bullshit.
Greedy fucks
Yep. This box sucks hard. I don't ever want a Chalupa or cinnamon twists.
Occasionally I'll enjoy a chalupa here and there but the cinnamon twists need to get the hell out of the way.
Exactly. Chulupa sucks, especially with beef.
No you didn’t. And that’s why they do this lol
This is so upsetting. The $7 box has a chalupa… don’t put that shit in the $9 box to “up” the value but then take away two items In return… If I was craving a chalupa I’d get the corresponding $7 box! And the mofo up charge to switch out the cinnamon twists is gross. If I’m broke as hell and getting Taco Bell, dessert is not in my budget anyways.. give me more savory sustenance! Trash ass cinnamon air crisps (no offense to those who like them)
A hug part of the problem is a nearly all Taco Bell locations now are franchises. Many Taco Bell franchise companies own multiple store locations. Around 20 Taco Bell franchise locations near me are owned by the same franchise company. Those franchises are excessively charging high prices on certain items and upgrades to make up for how much money they are paying out to Taco Bell corporate a subsidiary of YUM brands. The franchises are setting the prices. Now I will say the upgrade price for the two items you mentioned in the box are about double what they should be. In most boxes the cinnamon twists are automatically included instead of other items because the cost is around 5 cents or less to make. The cinnamon twists are actually more profitable than sodas making it the most profitable item on the Taco Bell menu. If you see one of the visiting franchise owner area managers at your local store talk with them. Generally they will be in the store with a laptop and dressed business casual. Calling Taco Bell corporate will do no good but expressing your feelings to franchise regional managers might.
Franchises have ruined tbell. Id have to drive about 2 hours to get to a normal priced presumably corporate tbell. The 3 closest ones are hugely expensive. 12 dollars for the build your own lux box. 11.50 for the discovery luxe box. Supreme luxe is 9.95. Classic is 7.50. Madness. This is default before even clicking thr boxes on the app.
They really need to reign it in.
For the most part I agree with you. The workable solution Taco Bell corporate needs to do will hurt their short term bottom line but would long term increase customer loyalty and profitability. Taco Bell could easily implement maximum pricing (with area based small percentage adjustments into franchise agreements in exchange for reducing over all fees charged to franchises). It is no doubt that some Taco Bell’s franchises are nickel and diming customers what is unknown to customers is how Taco Bell corporate is nickel and diming the franchises. Taco Bell charges start up fees, charges a percentage of every sale, charges extra percentages for all kiosk orders, and have collected kickbacks from suppliers for supplies purchased by franchises (some suppliers the franchises have a choice on which to use and others there is no choice at all). Now I don’t know for sure the details about the kickbacks in present day because some of the Taco Bell franchise companies banded together previously to fight excessively high supplier prices especially when they learned corporate was actually making a profit of supplies because of kickbacks. I do know this unethical kickback thing is or was not unique to only Taco Bell it happens with other restaurants that are not affiliated with Yum brands. Also some franchises are actually upset because Taco Bell is under cutting franchise sales by selling Taco Bell kits and sauces through Kraft brands at local grocery stores. Corporate takes a cut but have not reduced fees to franchises to compensate for reduced sales as a result. I hope this helps other customers understand the weird dynamic going on. I love much of Taco Bell’s food but I hate the prices that are much worse lately especially by my local franchise company.
Yea, im sure there is a lot of little things going on. The absolute worse thing is...these stores are also ripping people off on the volume of ingredients. I had the taco pass once. It was like rolling the dice. Is it going to look like thr picture, or is it going to be 90% shell?
Also I just remembered the last time I bought from one if my local tbells. Usually id get a potato breakfast burritos because they seemed like an ok deal. About 5 or 6 dollars for two. I clicked around and found a local pilot gas station tbell was a little cheaper. No joke, my breakfast burritos was like 1 finger thick.
They need to have someone do random ingredient surveys or something. Getting ripped on price + ingredients is crazy. Even when I want to buy an over b priced box... I still have to wrestle with maybe getting absolutely dunked on via low ingredients.
Tbell needs to purchase locations back from franchises. Ha.
Yes your local Taco Bell is charging about $2 higher per box than my local Taco Bell. Do you happen to know the name of the franchise company? Some of the worst Taco Bell franchises are owned by hedge funds/private equity firms. I would guess your local problem Taco Bell is owned by a hedge fund/private equity firm. My local franchise Taco Bell’s are owned by a wealthy family who has been running restaurants for over 30 years.
It looks like 4 of the local taco bells are owned by "the Webber family". Who owns a very large number across my state. The very thin/small breakfast burritos location didnt pop for their map though.
Google ai said other ones in my state are owned by a company which was purchased by an equity firm. (Can't remember it even though I just looked at it. Ugh.)
So, yea. Crazy. I've got to tell you that I was absolutely shocked to see the advertised prices at a taco bell when I was in s. California. Shocked it was cheaper than here.
Makes sense though.
I noticed food in some California Taco Bells are cheaper than Taco Bell restaurants in Southern Indiana run by C&M Smith Restaurants, Inc. and it makes me sick how much C&M is gouging Hoosiers.
I was wondering why my box was expensive today. I did the large confetti cake freeze with a switch to chips and cheese and the whole thing came to $11.50 pre tax.
I don't do the luxe boxes very often to begin with, but now that upcharge for chips and cheese basically killed any interest in them moving forward.
Same happened to me but it was a $.50 upcharge on the chips
I used to eat Taco Bell at least once a week and haven't had it in months, it's OBSCENELY expensive anymore. Really the only fast food I get now is McDonalds and only on a Friday when they have the best app deals.
I never been charged for swapping for chips and cheese
It seems to be new with this iteration if the Discovery Box. I was shocked it was like $1.60 for me to get chips and cheese. I ate my stipid cinni twists.
Had to go check, $0.30 for drink upsize and $1.60 for chips and cheese.. taco bell, are you really trying to join the other fast food franchises in the race to the bottom? You guys were WINNING the value wars...
The kind of value where millionaires making the Value decision are so out of touch with reality they think this is the line. Just go to anywhere else
I don't care