(CNN) — Early 2000s nostalgia isn’t just hitting fashion trends and box office sequels. Taco Bell is tapping into fan favorites from two decades ago with its new Decades Y2K Menu.
On September 9, Taco Bell will re-launch five of its “most requested” fan-favorites from the 2000s, all priced under $3: the Caramel Apple Empanada, Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Tacos, 7-Layer Burrito, Double Decker Taco and Chili Cheese Burrito.
Fast-food chains have undertaken various menu changes in recent months, including rolling out discounts and creating value meals, because of inflation-weary consumers. Taco Bell has particularly promoted its brand as a value option for customers looking to save money but still not cook at home.
The Caramel Apple Empanada and Chili Cheese Burrito will cost $2.99, while the Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Tacos, Double Decker Taco and 7-Layer Burrito are priced at $2.49.
The Caramel Apple Empanada will have an early release of September 2 for Taco Bell Rewards members purchasing in-app.
It’s not the first time Taco Bell has tapped into popular decades-old favorites. The Caramel Apple Empanada, which was discontinued in 2019, was brought back for a limited time in last year’s Decades Menu.
This year’s Y2K-centric menu will also be available for a limited time, “while supplies last,” Taco Bell noted in its announcement of the menu revival. Limited offerings typically last a month.
“It’s about reliving the flavors, the fashion, and the fun that made that moment in time unforgettable – and letting our fans be the first to live it all over again,” Taylor Montgomery, Taco Bell’s chief marketing officer, said in the announcement.
There have been instances where Taco Bell has removed a menu item only to face an outcry from fans who went so far as to start a petition. The removal of the Mexican Pizza in 2020 sparked so much backlash that nearly 200,000 customers signed a petition to bring it back. The pizza was permanently returned in 2022.
Fans went as far as making a map of locations that continued to sell the chili cheese burrito after it was broadly removed from Taco Bell restaurants in the mid-1990s.
Taco Bell will also use the Y2K revival to celebrate 20 years of the Crunchwrap Supreme, the “hexagon hero” it says defined the 2000s. A new cravings box will be offered for $9 and will include the Crunchwrap Supreme and Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Tacos.
The Y2K theme will also come with weekly merch drops — including a hat, Y2K-inspired digital watches and vintage-style T-shirts — in partnership with Ed Hardy. For a chance to win a merch capsule, customers can raise a Tamagotchi-like digital pet: the Crunchkin, in the Taco Bell app.
The-CNN-Wire
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