Taco Bell Plans On Competing With McDonald's By Keeping Fries Forever
If you held a stake in a fast food chain, you'd likely love for it to achieve the level of success enjoyed by McDonald's. It makes sense, then, that so many eateries have the golden arches in their sights.
According to Yahoo Finance, a survey conducted by UBS Evidence Lab clearly showed that McDonald's is the preferred brand across a number of categories, outperforming runner-up Wendy's and third-place finisher Burger King. In 2017, Marketplace reported that McDonald's sold 75 hamburgers per second throughout its tens of thousands of locations. Per Sense360, McDonald's sells about 5,000 Happy Meals a minute, which YardBarker notes translates to roughly 1.5 billion Happy Meal toys per year, making McD's "the largest toy distributor in the world." And its Big Mac sauce is so highly coveted that people have been trying to crack the recipe for years.
It is perfectly reasonable, then, that competitors would love to capture a piece of this success. Taco Bell, for one, has developed a plan of action that it hopes will coax customers away from the land of Ronald McDonald and his little friends. It also spells good news for fans of Mexican-inspired fast food.
Taco Bell's fries are its best-selling product
French fries are one of McDonald's most popular products. In fact, The Motley Fool contends that the chain sells about 3.3 billion pounds of their fried potatoes every year. With the profit margin on french fries coming in at between 75% and 90%, that equates to a healthy return (via Freetrade). This would explain Taco Bell's decision to make its own fries a permanent menu fixture.
As Insider reveals, Taco Bell introduced french fries in 2018. These new fried potatoes quickly became the restaurant's best-selling product. Since then, they've been on and off the menu — but that is all about to change. Earlier this week, CEO Mark King announced that the french fry will now have a permanent home on the Taco Bell menu in an attempt to make a dent in McDonald's lunchtime audience. This is good news for anyone who prefers their fries to come coated in seasoning along with a helping of nacho cheese. After all, McDonald's french fries don't do either.
King reveals that Taco Bell will be making a concerted effort to take on McDonald's in the breakfast realm as well. The home of the golden arches has dominated this morning meal for ages, and King says they need to "commit" to breakfast to put the kibosh on the burger chain's stronghold. If you love Taco Bell, this permanently expanded menu will likely put a spring in your step.