The fast food wars are on. Taco Bell and McDonald’s are going head-to-head with new product launches on January 26th. Taco Bell announced that it will be unleashing the Naked Chicken Chalupa, a taco with a fried chicken shell, this month. While we hear that big things are happening at McDonald’s, also on January 26th. Things are getting heated.
Taco Bell has been generating a ton of buzz this year—and it’s only two weeks into January. It began when the chain added new items to it’s Feast for $1 All Day menu—like the Loaded French Fries and the Crispy Chicken Chips. We tried them for ourselves and had higher hopes for these greasy menu additions. But hey, what can you expect when you pay a dollar?
McDonald’s killed its Dollar Menu three years ago because it struggled to turn a profit. The company traded the Dollar Menu for bundle deals—such as the McPick 2. Then launched All-Day Breakfast (smart move). But Taco Bell’s Feast for $1 All Day menu is thriving. The company doesn’t exactly rely on it, but it does get people in the doors because its 1$ menu is home to unusual menu items, such as Caramel Apple Empanadas and Double Stacked Tacos.
McDonald’s makes up for the lack of a Dollar Menu by experimenting with its All-Day breakfast. The burger joint generated some buzz recently with the addition of the Chicken McGriddle to menu at certain locations, along with the addition of two new versions of the Big Mac. McDonald’s is even upgrading its McCafé brand to give Starbucks a run for its money. Micky D’s is a fierce competitor.
Both McDonald’s and Taco Bell started 2017 out strong, and the race is on to win the hearts of fast food lovers everywhere. Wendy’s also created heat on social media that got people buzzing about its never frozen patties. Fast food brands vie for customers’ attention with the addition crazy new products, Twitter roasts, and hard to refuse value deals. And that makes it fun to be a customer. At least for a fast food junkie, like me.
Taco Bell is releasing the much anticipated Naked Chicken Chalupa on January 26th. It’s a fried-chicken shell filled with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, cheddar cheese, and avocado ranch sauce. People are saying it actually tastes fresh and healthy. But we suspect that McDonald’s is coming out with something big on January 26th as well, and it might even trump Taco Bell’s new product. We don’t know exactly what it is yet, but we do know it’s something big. Cue the thinking emoji.