By Zanub Saeed
Taco Bell announced earlier this month that it will be introducing new items onto its menu for a more "gourmet Mexican" feel starting July 5th.
The new tactic will be to go against other Mexican food dining chains like Chipotle Mexican Grill and Qdoba Mexican Grill, said the Associated Press in a report from June 6th, and will include such ingredients like black beans, cilantro rice, citrus- and herb-marinated chicken, and cilantro dressing. The line will be available for Taco Bell's almost 5,600 stores nationwide.
The new menu will be created by celebrity chef Lorena Garcia, who appeared on Bravo's "Top Chef Masters," to bring the new Cantina Bell menu featuring new items like the Cantina Burrito Bowl and Cantina Burrito, which will cost $5 each, said Taco Bell executive Brian Niccol to the Associated Press.
"[Garcia] brought a lot of new thinking, a lot of fresh approaches to our ingredients that change the flavor profile of the brand," Niccol told the AP.
The new products available at Taco Bell beginning in July will cost more than the regular tacos supplied at the fast food chain for decades, but they are also larger in size. A vegetarian option will go for around $5, and some of the side dishes, like corn salsa, chips and guacamole, black beans and rice, and pico de gallo will run at about $1.49 each, listed the Associated Press.
Taco Bell will budget about $20 million towards advertising the new food items via television and digital advertising the first month they will be sold, said the AP.
Garcia, who started working with Taco Bell back in fall 2010, explained why she chose to partake in the new line of gourmet Mexican food for the franchise.
"They were looking to ... expand their food to offer new flavors with great taste," she told the Associated Press. "I saw this as an opportunity to help create diversity to the Taco Bell experience."
