Public Outrage Forces Taco Bell to Bring Back the Mexican Pizza
The Mexican Pizza returns to Taco Bell menus on May 19. Photos courtesy of Taco Bell
When Taco Bell announced it was pulling the Mexican Pizza from its menu in 2020, my friend Laura literally swore off the restaurant chain she previously had patronized regularly. She even used foul language in making her point, and I won’t include those words.
Meantime, my girlfriend Cynthia also expressed her disappointment (albeit without expletives) when the news broke, as it was really the one thing on the menu she liked.
They weren’t alone. More than 200,000 people signed a Change.Org petition, the masses were heard, and Taco Bell announced this week that the beloved Mexican Pizza will return to its menus in May. In a news release, The Bell publicly confirmed the rumors that had swirled about the menu item’s return, citing the petitions, memorials and more.
“Best fast food news of the year!” Cynthia said.
Some of the Mexican Pizza fanatics have come to the forefront of the revolution, one of those being Krish Jagirdar, who spearheaded the Change.org petition.
Krish Jagirdar is a happy man.
"Like many Indian-Americans who grew up vegetarian, we had limited access to the 'fun' fast food, so Taco Bell became a bridge to belonging in American culture for many kids like me who grew up in immigrant households," Jagirdar said. "That's what made it especially devastating when the Mexican Pizza was pulled from menus in 2020, but fast forward two years later and I found myself on a conference call with the Taco Bell team as they shared news of the return of the Mexican Pizza, showing that listening to their fans is clearly embedded in their DNA. It's one of the many reasons Taco Bell is more than just another fast-food restaurant."
Amazing, isn’t it? All this over a miniature “pizza.” But people who love Taco Bell, LOVE Taco Bell. (Personally, it’s one of my favorite guilty pleasures.)
Another superfan, Doja Cat, dubbed the “voice of the Taco Bell people” in the announcement, was one of the first to confirm the news this past weekend, when she literally dropped the mic with the news of the Mexican Pizza's return on May 19.
Fan pleas alone aren't all it took to get the Mexican Pizza back to menus, as the “masterminds” in the Taco Bell test kitchen worked to streamline operations and ingredient sourcing, and leave a lighter footprint at the same time. One of those initiatives is developing a sauce packet recycling program pilot in the US with TerraCycle as the brand tracks towards its 2025 commitment for all recyclable, compostable or reusable consumer-facing packaging.
As an IOU, Taco Bell Rewards Members who received a mystery reward back during the Big Game will score a free Mexican Pizza when it's back May 19*, and loyalty members will get first dibs with early access to the menu item beginning May 17.
"Our menu is full of fan favorites, but the Mexican Pizza is at the top of that list," said Mark King, CEO of Taco Bell. "From its flashy introduction to menus in 1985 as 'Pizzazz Pizza' to its inspiration behind the creation of infamous jingles, Mexican Pizza has a long history with the brand and I'm glad we could give fans what they crave and bring our classic Mexican Pizza back home where it belongs."
Pizzazz Pizza? Yeah, good call on changing the name, Taco Bell.
Also, it should be noted that vegetarians have been among the most vocal and hopeful for the Mexican Pizzas return, as the Mexican Pizza is made of two crispy flour shells, layered with beans, pizza sauce, seasoned beef, tomatoes and a melted three cheese, and its an easy “fix” to simply leave off the beef and make it a veggie version.
For her part, Laura seems ready to forgive Taco Bell for its transgression: “The world is healing,” she said.
