Latest news with #QuesocrispTaco
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Taco Bell's New Menu Items Include Baja Blast Midnight Flavor, Queso Shells, and Birthday Cake Churros
If there's one thing that unifies all mankind, it's the eternal quest to get even more cheese into food. At least Taco Bell seems to think so. The fast food chain recently unveiled its new slate of menu items for 2025, and one of the most intriguing options coming to restaurants is the Quesocrisp Taco. It's a shell made entirely out of crispy cheese. And after you're done washing down yours with the new MTN DEW Baja Blast Midnight Flavor, you can end your meal with a Milk Bar Birthday Cake Churro. Earlier this month during its latest Live Más event, Taco Bell gave customers a look at 30 new foodstuffs it's working on. While there was a whole lot of revelations, including new collaborations and merchandise for 2025, the most important was the announcement of options coming to Taco Bell locations everywhere. Those include new Caliente Cantina Chicken options, the return of Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Tacos and Double Decker Taco via the Decades Menu, Toasted Cheddar Street Chalupa, the return of Crispy Chicken Nuggets, Mike's Hot Honey Diablo Sauce, a new Flamin' Hot Burrito, Steak and Queso Crunchwrap Sliders, and Rolled Poblano Quesadilla. Yup. All of them. Give us all of them. But the three new items coming in 2025 that really caught our eye/stomach provide an entire meal. They include: Milk Bar Birthday Cake Churros: '…warm and crispy churros filled with Milk Bar's iconic birthday cake frosting and topped with festive sprinkles and sugar' MOUNTAIN DEW BAJA MIDNIGHT: 'a sweet and refreshing blast of passionfruit flavor combined with the familiar tropical lime flavor of Baja Blast' Quesocrisp Taco: 'an all-new taco with a shell made out of crispy cheese' Yuuuup. That's a whole delicious night right there. Taco Bell also provided a look at foods that could one day join the 2025. The live experience started with the latest innovations the chain's Test Kitchen has developed. While not all of these 'dream' items will make it to customers, we'd eat literally all of them. These experimental ideas include: Weak Knees Fire: 'combines the iconic Fire sauce with Bushwick Kitchen's Weak Knees Gochujang Sriracha' Zab's Hot Ranch: 'takes the flavors that Zab's [Hot Sauce is known for and adding Taco Bell's Spicy Ranch sauce' Purple Chile Sauce: 'a rich purple sauce featuring three unique chiles: Ají Panca, Habanero and Ghost Pepper' Crispy Fajitas: 'tempura battered crispy bell pepper, onions and jalapeños paired with white habanero ranch for dipping' Queso Fundido Rolled Chicken Taquitos: 'crispy taquitos stuffed with chicken with a green chili queso fundido for dipping' Short Rib Chile Relleno Burrito: 'Anaheim green chile stuffed with melted cheese and short rib beef' Brisket Taco: 'featuring slow-roasted brisket, shredded cheese and purple cabbage' Poutine Fries: 'seasoned fries topped with slow-roasted pork, savory gravy and cheese curds' Ube Strawberry Cookie: 'a crisp and chewy sugar cookie stuffed with rich vanilla ube cream featuring strawberry pieces in the cookie and filling plus a flurry of sprinkles' Mexican Pizza Empanada: 'the cult classic Mexican Pizza inside of a flakey crispy empanada' Mini Taco Salad: 'a bite-sized version of the taco salad that was on Taco Bell menus from 1984 to 2017 with added salsa verde and lime' Tacodilla: 'an oversized taco shell made with a corn flour tortilla filled with carne asada, melted cheese, guajillo pepper sauce and grilled to perfection' Salted Caramel & Toffee Cream Empanada Bite: 'a twist on the beloved Caramel Apple Empanada featuring salted caramel and toffee cream' Test Kitchen? Great! We volunteer as test subject. You can read all about merch drops, celebrity partnerships, and new menu deals at Taco Bell's official Live Más roundup. But we're mostly just focused on those crispy cheese taco shells. Not out of selfishness or anything. But because they could truly unite all of us.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
McDonald's CEO wants to speed up the process it takes to introduce new burgers
McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski said he intends to introduce new burgers and improve the chain's signature burgers at a faster rate. To help speed up the process, Kempczinski, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, said he's making changes in leadership and operations in the company aimed at making McDonald's move faster. As part of the changes, Jill McDonald, who heads the company's international division, has been tapped to be the chain's first chief restaurant experience officer beginning May 1. Baja Midnight, Quesocrisp Taco, and more: what's coming to Taco Bell in 2025 She will soon lead a team responsible for the company's innovation, supply chains, and operations. 'I wanted one person who's actually looking at all these tech things through the eyes of the restaurant general manager,' Kempczinski said to the Journal. He didn't share what other changes would be made to speed up the burger making process. McDonald's reveals celeb breakfast orders Kempczinski did hint at McDonald's potentially expanding its drinks menu. 'We just need to make sure that our menu offering doesn't give somebody a reason why they come to us for their food and they maybe go to the place next door to go get the beverage,' Kempczinski said. Kempczinski's plans for the future come as some consumers opt to eat at home instead of dining out due to rising fast food prices. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
USA Today
07-03-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Costco's 'big plans' include opening a dozen new US stores over the next six months
Costco's 'big plans' include opening a dozen new US stores over the next six months Costco has plans to open six new stores in the U.S. over the next nine days and six more over the next six months. The warehouse retailer will soon have more than 900 locations worldwide. Show Caption Hide Caption Walmart forecast disappoints, shares fall on consumer worries Shares of Walmart dropped as much as 7% after the world's largest retailer forecast sales and profit below Wall Street's expectations. Costco will be opening two new stores in Southern California this week and four more in other states next week, which will drive the wholesaler's plan to have over 900 locations worldwide. A new location opens Friday in Brentwood and another on Saturday in Highland. Stores are scheduled to open next week in Maine, Michigan and Texas (two). The location in Sharon, Maine, scheduled to open March 12, will be the 620th to open in the U.S. and 900th globally, CEO Ron Vachris said Thursday during a call with investment analysts. Costco expects to open six more locations in the U.S., two in Canada and four other international locations over the next six months, he said. "We have big plans for the rest of the fiscal year (which ends Aug. 31)," Vachris said. Costco's strategy is to attempt to open 25-30 new locations each year, typically with half of them in the U.S. and the other half in international markets, chief financial officer Gary Millerchip said Thursday. If openings go as scheduled, the company will open 25 during the current fiscal year, which ends Aug. 31. Taco Bell: Quesocrisp Taco, Midnight Baja Blast, more: The new menu items coming to Taco Bell in 2025 Where are Costco stores opening in March? Costco: Will inflation, tariffs affect prices? Costco, with its buying power, is well-positioned to weather increased costs due to inflation or tariffs, the executives said Thursday. "It is difficult to predict the impact of tariffs, but our team remains agile and our goal will be to minimize the impact of related cost increases to our members," Vachris said. The tariff situation is "very fluid," right now, he said. But Costco buyers could look to other countries not hit with tariffs for products, such as produce, if needed. "Our buyers deal with those like they would any other cost increase," he said. Inflation for the 12-week period, which ended Feb. 16, was in "the low single digits," Millerchip said, with lower prices on goods such as sugar, butter and flour helping offset higher prices for eggs, cocoa, coffee, cheese and corn. Costco shoppers bought more items and spent more during the period. A year ago, the "basket size" would have been "flat to negative," he said. Costco said its net sales for the 12-week period ending Feb. 16 rose 9.1% to $62.53 billion, up from $57.33 billion last year. U.S. sales during the period rose 8.6%. Net income of $1.79 billion rose 2.6% but fell short of the $1.82 billion expected by analysts polled by S&P Global Market Intelligence. Costco posted net income of $1.74 billion in the year-ago quarter. Costco shares fell 2% on Thursday and dipped lower in after-hours trading. The retailer reported 78.4 million paid memberships, an increase of 6.8%, and had membership income growth of 7.4%. Costco's growth has continued to be reliable, said Greg Zakowicz, senior ecommerce expert at Omnisend. 'With the rising cost of everyday goods, Costco is an appealing choice for many shoppers seeking value in terms of product quality and price," he said. "Within the grocery category I expect its private-label brands to be a strong catalyst of growth." Follow Mike Snider on Threads, Bluesky and X: mikegsnider & @ & @mikesnider. What's everyone talking about? Sign up for our trending newsletter to get the latest news of the day
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Taco Bell's 2025 Menu Just Dropped — Here's What You Need to Try First
When it comes to product innovation, one fast food chain isn't shy about testing out something new. Taco Bell just unveiled its 2025 lineup at the second annual Live Más presentation yesterday—and if everything goes according to plan, we can expect quite a delicious year. A whole slew of new menu items are coming to the beloved Tex-Mex chain, including crispy chicken nuggets, street chalupas, and cheese-shelled tacos. Beyond that, the California-based chain is testing more than a dozen dishes, both savory and sweet — like the caramel apple empanada, brisket tacos, short rib chile relleno burrito, and tequila lime tacos. Related: Taco Bell Has Officially Rescheduled National Taco Day — Here's When to Celebrate 'What we believe [founder Glen Bell] he was trying to do 63 years ago was feed curiosity for the unconventional. That's pretty cool: Tacos in a burger world,' CEO Sean Tresvant said during the introduction. The brand kept its word by unveiling quite a few inventive releases for the rest of the calendar year. Ahead, we're digging into that full lineup of incoming items. The Quesocrisp Taco features a surprisingly sturdy shell made of crunchy baked cheese, making it one of the most ambitious new releases. You can also look forward to new twists on old favorites, including the Toasted Cheddar Street Chalupa, Crispy Chicken Burrito, Crispy Chicken Taco, Grilled Cheese Burrito with shredded beef, and Flamin' Hot Burrito. Meanwhile, the Rolled Poblano Quesadilla delivers the heat with marinated steak or roasted chicken and peppers wrapped in a grilled tortilla. Looking to meet your protein goals during lunch? This is for you: Following the success of the Cantina Chicken Bowl, the chain has just released a new Caliente Cantina Chicken burrito bowl (along with other Caliente items) featuring a spicy Avocado Verde sauce. And no, that's not all. After a successful run of the nostalgic Decades Menu last fall, Taco Bell is revving up the time machine for another limited-edition drop. This time, they're bringing back simpler pleasures from the early 2000s, including the Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Taco and the Double Decker Taco. As for drinks, Baja Blast is celebrating its 21st year. The brand is marking this milestone with the introduction of its first-ever new Baja flavor: Midnight. This passion fruit and tropical lime soda will be flowing at Taco Bell's thousands of locations starting this summer, the brand informs us. Fans of the brand's recent churro collaboration with Milk Bar are also in luck: another unnamed drop may be on the horizon. It's no surprise that 'swicy' innovations are part of the upcoming offerings — in 2025, Taco Bell will collaborate with Mike's Hot Honey to create a fresh version of their fiery Diablo Sauce. This will be available on menus alongside the newly introduced Crispy Chicken Nuggets, as the company announced. Additionally, Taco Bell is preparing to launch other collaborations with popular brands, including Brooklyn's Weak Knees Fire. The brand can't reveal timelines for any of its other new innovations just yet, so we'll need to be patient for the time being. (Availability is also subject to change, as we've been informed.) Still eager for more details? Cheesy new menu items aren't the only additions coming to the Taco Bell universe this year. The Taco Bell team is currently developing a 'Fan Style' feature on the Taco Bell app, which will enable users to create their own customized orders and share them with others. (Of course, more details are to come.) Taco Bell, under its parent company Yum! Brands, is also looking to grow internationally. In an investor presentation on Tuesday, the company stated that it plans to expand its global presence from 1,150 locations in 2024 to over 3,000 outside the United States by 2030. This includes nine new countries, such as France, Greece, and South Africa. 'The bold swings will only get bigger as we continue to chase greatness,' Tresvant said in the investor announcement. 'We had an impressive year thanks to fans and team members, so we're grounding our 2025 strategy around them.' Sounds like it's time for a drive-thru run. Related: Taco Bell Has Officially Rescheduled National Taco Day — Here's When to CelebrateCaliente Cantina Chicken Menu Chicken Strips Menu Beefy Crunch Burrito Apple Empanada Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Tacos Double Decker Taco Grilled Cheese Burrito With Shredded Beef Toasted Cheddar Street Chalupa Crispy Chicken Flamin' Hot Burrito Rolled Steak and Poblano Quesadilla Quesocrisp Taco Mountain Dew Baja Midnight Mike's Hot Honey Diablo Sauce Weak Knees Fire SauceRead the original article on Food & Wine
USA Today
06-03-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Quesocrisp Taco, Midnight Baja Blast, more: The new menu items coming to Taco Bell in 2025
Quesocrisp Taco, Midnight Baja Blast, more: The new menu items coming to Taco Bell in 2025 Show Caption Hide Caption AI at Taco Bell: Speeding up orders, accuracy Yum Brands announced that hundreds of Taco Bell locations in the U.S. will begin using artificial intelligence at its drive thru locations. Cheddar Taco Bell has announced a collection of new menu items, slated to release in restaurants this year. New items include a Flamin' Hot Burrito, made with a new Flamin' Hot rice, and a Quesocrisp Taco, an all-new taco shell made entirely out of crispy cheese. The fast food franchise is also bringing back some fan favorites, like Crispy Chicken Nuggets and the Decades Menu, which will feature items from the 2000s and 2010s. Earlier this year, Taco Bell announced a new take on its value meal, with the choice of $5, $7 and $9 Luxe Cravings Boxes. Expected to remain on the menu through June, the varying-priced value meals feature an array of Taco Bell classics. Interested in learning more about what you can expect this year? Here's what to know about the new items hitting the Taco Bell menu. New menu items: Chipotle unveils new Honey Chicken protein option: Here's when you can get it What new items are coming to Taco Bell this year? According to a news release, here are the new items coming to the Taco Bell menu this year: Grilled Cheese Burrito with Shredded Beef: Shredded beef, nacho cheese sauce, rice, fiesta strips, chipotle sauce, reduced-fat sour cream and three cheese blend inside a flour tortilla Toasted Cheddar Street Chalupa : Slow-roasted Cantina chicken or grilled, marinated steak, onions, cilantro, mozzarella and pepperjack cheeses, Jalapeno Ranch with cheddar baked into the taco shell with a layer of crispy cheese toasted on the outside and a new Chile Lime Crema Sauce : Slow-roasted Cantina chicken or grilled, marinated steak, onions, cilantro, mozzarella and pepperjack cheeses, Jalapeno Ranch with cheddar baked into the taco shell with a layer of crispy cheese toasted on the outside and a new Chile Lime Crema Sauce Crispy Chicken: Crispy Chicken Nuggets are making a comeback as an a la carte option or a Crispy Chicken Burrito or Crispy Chicken Taco Mike's Hot Honey Diablo Sauce : Collaboration with Mike's Hot Honey, to be served with Crispy Chicken Nuggets : Collaboration with Mike's Hot Honey, to be served with Crispy Chicken Nuggets Flamin' Hot Burrito: Burrito featuring nacho cheese sauce, Flamin' Hot Fritos, reduced-fat sour cream, season beef and new Flamin' Hot Rice, wrapped inside a tortilla Steak and Queso Crunchwrap Sliders : Grilled, marinated steak, chipotle sauce, Pico de Gallo, cheddar cheese and a mini tostada wrapped in flour tortillas and served as a fun-size pair alongside Green Chile Queso : Grilled, marinated steak, chipotle sauce, Pico de Gallo, cheddar cheese and a mini tostada wrapped in flour tortillas and served as a fun-size pair alongside Green Chile Queso Milk Bar Birthday Cake Churros : Churros with Milk Bar's birthday cake frosting with sprinkles and sugar : Churros with Milk Bar's birthday cake frosting with sprinkles and sugar Mountain Dew Baja Midnight: Tropical lime Baja Blast with passionfruit flavor Quesocrisp Taco: Taco shell made out of crispy cheese When do the new menu items drop? Taco Bell did not indicate specific dates for the new menu items. Some, like the Milk Bar Birthday Cake Churros, have already become available at locations nationwide. Revamped, comeback menus Taco Bell is also revamping and bringing back two menus this year: Caliente Cantina Chicken Menu : Slow-roasted Cantina Chicken products feature an all-new Caliente Sauce, made with red jalapenos : Slow-roasted Cantina Chicken products feature an all-new Caliente Sauce, made with red jalapenos Decades Menu: 2000s and 2010s menu items, including Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Tacos and Double Decker Tacos Create and share Taco Bell customizations Taco Bell is also launching Fan Style this year. Through the Taco Bell app, customers can customize, save and name menu items, in addition to sharing with friends. The fast food chain is looking at ways to give rewards members points if someone orders their custom menu item, a news release states. New menu announced at Live Más LIVE Taco Bell announced the new menu during its Live Más LIVE event in New York City on Tuesday. Hosted by Grammy and Tony-nominated musician and actress Ashley Park, the event featured several new announcements, in addition to taste testing for participants. The fast food franchise shared several new menu items they would like to see come to fruition, including a Short Rib Chile Relleno Burrito, Poutine Fries, Ube Strawberry Cookie and Mini Taco Salad, according to a news release. Taco Bell also announced during Live Más LIVE that it will be partnering with golf apparel brand Bad Birdie on an apparel collection and high school tournament and "Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 + 4," a new release of the 2001 and 2002 video games, on branded merchandise. Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretalcross. Story idea? Email her at gcross@
