Reddit Is Divided Over Taco Bell's 'Peak And Decline'

Just like technology, music, and politics, fast food finds itself evolving with the times. While you could argue that the evolution of fast food isn't as key to the modern world as the evolution of computers or as controversially juicy as politics, it's still fascinating to see how these massive corporations and businesses that left such an impact on the American diet have changed over the years. Of course, with businesses that have been in operation for such a long time, one has to wonder: Are these companies still in their zenith or are we seeing a slow, sad decline of once-great restaurant empires?

We must first account for biases such as nostalgia and personal tastes. Vox, for example, slams McDonald's for looking "sleek and boring" when compared to its more lively and colorful theme of red and white roofs and PlayPlaces. A group on Facebook pines for the return of Wendy's "Superbar," an enormous salad bar that sold everything from spaghetti to chili to ambrosia, while MoneyWise lists it as a spectacular failure. One can't exactly place when the "golden years" of fast-food were, since it's all up to what one considers to be the "glory days" of these enormous chains.

A similar question was posed to Redditors – when exactly was Taco Bell's supposed "peak?" Is it entering a downward spiral or is it still at the top of its prime? This left many users divided on what the answer is.

"In Your Opinion, when was Taco Bell at it's peak and when did it start to Decline?" This was the question asked on the subreddit r/TacoBell in a post with a graphic detailing how Taco Bell's logo changed throughout its 60-odd years in business. Some users argued that Taco Bell was at its prime when it was part of a "combination fast food restaurant," two different chains sharing a single space — for example, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut.

One user thought the chain started going downhill "when the Taco Bells in my area got rid of the Pizza hut." They wrote, "I liked having breadsticks with my tacos." Others, however, seemed to believe that modern Taco Bell is "boring," having shed its wild and outrageous menu in exchange for "safer" but less interesting menu items. "It's just so boring? They used to have all these specials like 5 years ago and all this crazy stuff that would come out," the Redditor said. "Now it's just like, the same combos of things over and over again in just different shells." The user continued by stating that Taco Bell needed innovation and should focus on variation to drum up hype. 

Meanwhile, others argued that Taco Bell never really had a true peak or decline because every era had its ups and downs that made the chain unique. While Taco Bell will have its fans and its critics no matter what, it's still impressive to see how far the chain has come from the very first Taco Bell in California.