Taco Bell's XXL Chalupa Was A Short-Lived Fan Favorite
Taco Bell is known for creative promotional tweaks or upgrades to its core menu items. For many dedicated fans, though, one menu item stands out; the XXL Chalupa. Although it's been more than a decade since the XXL Chalupa graced the Bell's menu, some aficionados of the chain still hold a candle for the hefty meal.
At its core, XXL Chalupa was just a super-sized version of the familiar regular chalupa, known for its boat-shaped fried tortilla-style flatbread shell. The XXL was simply larger with more substantial servings of seasoned beef, cheese, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, and sour cream. By some estimates, it outweighed its traditional sibling by more than 57%! It also packed in between 590 and 650 calories, about 300 more than Taco Bell's current chalupa selection as well as roughly twice as many grams of fat. Many taco lovers saw it as a serious bargain as it sold for just $2.99.
Unfortunately, the item was relatively short-lived. After debuting in the summer of 2010, it was discontinued sometime in 2011.
Why it's gone and why it could come back
It's not known why the chain stopped selling this gigantic offering but it's likely related to the main reason why Taco Bell's menu never stays the same. That's primarily to stimulate demand and keep customers interested in new menu items. Taco Bell has also shifted toward a more streamlined workflow in its kitchens over time. Sadly, this can often mean beloved but more complicated dishes get kicked out for the sake of efficiency.
In such cases, all that's left are the memories, like those among XXL Chalupa fans on Reddit. Dozens of comments in a 2023 thread fondly reminisced about the item while some even credited the chalupa for turning them into Taco Bell fans.
However, just because something has disappeared from the Taco Bell menu once doesn't mean it won't reappear in the future. That's precisely what happened with another fan favorite as the Double Decker Taco reappeared in late 2023. In the meantime, XXL Chalupa fans may just have to make do with the standard chalupa or one of Taco Bell's other plus-sized or promotional creations.