Taco Bell removes Mexican Pizza and other items as it finishes menu streamlining

Taco Bell announced a second wave of menu cuts after it concluded a review of its food and beverage offerings.

The Yum Brands chain is among the restaurant companies permanently rethinking their menus during the coronavirus pandemic. Less staff in kitchens and higher demand in its drive-thru lanes meant McDonald’s and others temporarily trimmed back their menus, only to realize that it resulted in faster service times and happier customers. 

Earlier this month, Taco Bell stopped serving items like the Nachos Supreme, Spicy Potato Soft Taco, Cheesy Fiesta Potatoes, Spicy Tostada and the 7-Layer Burrito. 

Mexican Pizza, a fan favorite at the chain, is among the departing items. The chain said that the packaging for the pizza accounted for more than 7 million pounds of paperboard annually in the U.S., so its departure will help Taco Bell inch closer to its sustainability goals.

Taco Bell is also swapping out its pico de gallo in favor of fresh diced tomatoes and removing its shredded chicken protein option, which means the departure of the Shredded Chicken Soft Taco, Shredded Chicken Burrito and Shredded Chicken Quesadilla Melt.

Fans of the menu items still have time to say their final goodbyes. The menu changes will go into effect on Nov. 5, which also marks the introduction of the Dragonfruit Freeze beverage and the Chicken Chipotle Melt. Taco Bell is also testing the return of the Quesalupa in Knoxville, Tennessee ahead of a nationwide return next year.

Yum shares, which have a market value of $29 billion, have fallen less than 5% since the start of the year. On Thursday, the stock was recently trading down about 1.8% at $96.25.