We Will Soon Be Able To Devour Taco Bell’s Mexican Pizza Again!

After over a month of teasing and speculation, we got the news this morning from Taco Bell and Doja Cat that “[she] brought the Mexican Pizza back!” Taco Bell, then Doja, shared a clip of her Coachella performance, braggadociously saying, “I brought the Mexican Pizza back, by the way, ha-ha!” She even made the statement her profile name on Twitter. Since those viral live streams and TikToks (two of which amassed 11 million views combined) in March, the Grammy award-winning artist has been sharing posts from people pleading for the delicious fast food slider to make its way back.

Taco Bell discontinued the Mexican Pizza back in 2020, citing an effort to cut back on its carbon footprint due to the packaging. In addition to any internal changes, the company began a recycling program with Terracycle to keep the sauce packets out of landfills. I’m cautiously hopeful that the company found a way to bring back the Mexican Pizza while still working within the boundaries of why they nixed it—and in a meaningful way, without greenwashing.

Meat substitutes (especially beef) tend to be less taxing on the environment, so I would love to see them offering meat substitutes like Beyond Beef or something. I haven’t found a beef substitute that works for me (only chicken patties at Aldi), but Taco Bell could make this happen with the flavor combo from the other ingredients and meat seasoning. Lots of people can think of at least one person they met that insisted Taco Bell wasn’t 100% beef anyways. The company could lean into it (with transparency) and roll out a meat substitute alternative to add to their increasingly vegetarian-friendly menu.

When does the Mexican Pizza come back?

According to Taco Bell, the roughly 500-calorie pizza will be available again starting May 19. Before you plan to eat it the day of, please remember a few things—first, supply chain issues and that rollouts, in general, aren’t always super smooth. I’m not expecting the long chicken sandwich lines Popeyes used to have, but still, excitement and fast food promotions often spell added hostility towards workers.

Speaking of the workers, between the labor movement and the fact that it’s been two years since the Mexican Pizza’s been on the menu, it likely might take a little longer or taste slightly different. Some employees might have never made one for customers before, and there’s likely a gap in tips-and-tricks knowledge among people who switched jobs. To be fair, I’ve never had a consistent Mexican Pizza because some people make it with too much beans or too much tomato.

While I never signed a petition, I and many others at TMS are very excited about this epic return.

(via Twitter, image: ABC)

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Alyssa Shotwell

(she/her) Award-winning artist and writer with professional experience and education in graphic design, art history, and museum studies. She began her career in journalism in October 2017 when she joined her student newspaper as the Online Editor. This resident of the yeeHaw land spends most of her time drawing, reading and playing the same handful of video games—even as the playtime on Steam reaches the quadruple digits. Currently playing: Baldur's Gate 3 & Oxygen Not Included.

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