Oh, to be a fly on the wall in the marketing department of Taco Bell. You know, the fount of innovation that foisted the following crimes upon the American consciousness:
1. The Chihuahua that made every dick in middle school yell out “Yo Quiero Taco Bell” in Spanish class.
2. This chorro waiting to happen.
3. A taco shell made out of a giant Dorito.
And now, this:
What is this festive sugar-skull inspired artwork, you ask? Well, it seems that top level Taco Bell Bosses passed by a Chipotle on their way to a food truck to see what all the ruckus was about, and now they want in on the “foodie” money. In order to attract the population of consumers who like to post photos of their meals on instagram and know where their ingredients were sourced, Taco Bell plans to open U.S. Taco Co., a fast-casual sit down “Mexican” restaurant in Huntington Beach, with a second location soon to come in L.A.
U.S. Taco Co. and Urban Tap Room will feature “fancier, fusion style tacos” with an American take, like a Philly cheesesteak number called “Brotherly Love,” one featuring Maine lobster, and a Texas brisket taco, among others – all served alongside wedge potato fries and a milkshake. WHY. NO. WHY.
Adding insult to injury is the logo, which clearly references Día de Muertos, a holiday that a) is a tradition that goes back thousands of years, b) has nothing to do with tacos, c) is basically a rip off of the logo of San Salvador restaurant Lacalaca:
TACO WARS. @Lacalacasv & @yumbrands #USTacoCo go skull to skull: http://t.co/uXMB638iTt via @hyperallergic pic.twitter.com/WLx0Y0VJe1
— Kriti Upadhyay (@artsy_eater) April 30, 2014
Maybe all of this wouldn’t be so annoying if Taco Bell weren’t waving this all under a ‘taco’ banner. Even if the food tastes good — which it might — it has almost no relationship to Mexican cuisine, aside from the fact that they’ll also use tortillas. As the execs themselves have all but pointed out, their primary focus is to make photogenic food. Time Magazine quoted Jeff Jenkins, senior brand manager at Taco Bell, on the inspiration behind this new venture: “Everyone in the U.S. has become a foodie. The first thing young people do in a restaurant is take out their camera and take a picture of their food — and post it on Instagram.”
All we can say is SMH.