See Pete Davidson Apologize For All OF Taco Bell’s Worst Menu Ideas
Pete Davidson was part of a Taco Bell campaign apologizing for menu items like their breakfast fare
This article is more than 2 years old
When it comes to winning the fast-food race, innovation is usually necessary. But sometimes, those unique ideas go too far, and restaurants struggle to retain customers. Still, the news that Taco Bell is apologizing for its menu choices is a bit of a surprise.
Per a CNN exclusive report, Taco Bell partnered with Pete Davidson to be the face of the ad. Davidson is a comedian popular with the younger crowd. He is the star of two 30-second television ads to air this month.
In one of the ads, Davidson issues a formal apology for past menu choices: “Sometimes, we go too far. I have, and that’s why Taco Bell has hired me to make an apology for them.” It is an unusual move. And the chain will now await news about whether or not it was effective.
The ads will run through December 24, and Taco Bell leadership hopes they result in a bump in sales. So far, the return to a traditional menu has paid off. Now the company hopes to drive those sales even higher.
And the ad campaign will launch with perfect timing. News that employees are increasingly returning to the office means an overall boost to breakfast sales for every fast food restaurant. And that is reflected in the data collected by analysts at GlobalData.
One of its food services analysts noted the correlation when she spoke with CNN. Hannah Cleland stated: “With such a large portion of the population regularly making a commute, it is unsurprising that breakfast sales have remained steady.” Taco Bell hopes its new apology campaign will result in more than steady sales and make them the leader in breakfast fare.
We all make mistakes, and the minds behind restaurant menus are no exception. They often start offering items that are just too unique or stay with boring and comfortable choices. Finding that sweet spot of just being innovative enough is challenging.
But when they do, the customers certainly respond. That sweet spot is why McDonald’s has retained a loyal breakfast customer base over the years. Now, Taco Bell appears to have learned a valuable lesson and will leave its crazy innovations to other mealtimes.
Before the pandemic, the fast food chain received negative customer feedback over its slightly unusual breakfast offerings. Items such as the Waffle Taco and Naked Egg Taco just didn’t seem to appeal to sleepy people wanting nourishment on the way to work. The breakfast menu disappeared in its entirety during the height of the pandemic.
Upon its return this year, it featured tried and true breakfast items, which was news for breakfast fans. The current breakfast menu offers morning versions of Taco Bell’s most popular menu items. You can now find quesadillas, crunch wraps, and burritos filled with standard breakfast fare.
However, while this return to basics was bringing back the dutiful breakfast crowd, Taco Bell leadership thought something was missing. So the chain is launching a marketing campaign to apologize for its past mistakes. According to the chief brand officer, Sean Tresvant, they took the step because “we honestly over-innovated in breakfast.”
