Naked Chicken Chalupa, We Hardly Knew Ye
Nevin Barich
LOS ANGELES
,
February 28, 2017
(Off The Menu)
–
Well that didn’t take long.
Barely a month after launching this new offering amidst much fanfare, Taco Bell recently announced that it would remove its Naked Chicken Chalupa from menus sometime in March. No reason was given for the discontinuation of the item, which garnered a lot of media buzz for its use of spicy fried chicken as a taco shell, but a spokesman for the company said it’s the “same length of time” most other limited-time items stay on the menu.
Maybe that’s true, although that statement sounds a little strange considering how heavily the company promoted the idea. But whatever the reason, there are a lot of theories as to why the Naked Chicken Chalupa is going away so quickly. Here are three of mine:
Lack Of Need
These days, there are two main kinds of fast-food customers: Generation Xers and millennials. Millennials tend to look for better quality and ingredients when it comes to fast food, so it’s hard to see the Naked Chicken Chalupa appealing to them. That leaves Gen Xers likely myself, who weren’t exactly saying to themselves: “Man, you know what Taco Bell really needs? A taco that’s not a taco, but rather a fried chicken patty shaped like a taco.” I’m sure the product tested well when it was initially launched in places like Kansas City, but there wasn’t exactly a nationwide demand for such a creation.
No Meat Inside The Meat
My co-worker and fellow fast-food lover Ani made a good point after she tried the Naked Chicken Chalupa for the first and only time: The fact that the item features no meat inside the chicken “shell” makes it feel kind of empty. When I first tried it, I also felt something was amiss but couldn’t put my finger on it, but Ani hit the nail on the head. Beyond the chicken shell, there’s just some cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and sauce. While it tasted good, it also felt like I was eating a small fried chicken sandwich without the bread. Maybe adding some ground beef or chopped chicken would’ve made it more filling.
$2.99 For This?
It’s not that the Naked Chicken Chalupa is exactly overpriced at $2.99 (or $3.29 in some locations). But based on its small size, it’s not cheap either. I would need to eat at least two of them to feel anywhere close to full, and suddenly you’re spending more than $6 before you add a beverage and/or additional side item. The item could have benefited from a lower introductory price.
Nevin Barich is the Food and Beverage Analyst for Industry Intelligence Inc. and is also Menuism’s fast-food expert. Email him at Nevin.Barich@industryintel.com or follow him on Twitter.
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