The Dedicated Fan Who Invented Taco Bell's Doritos Locos Tacos
It's 2012. You pull up to your local Taco Bell, thinking about getting your usual order of a hardshell taco, a Baja Blast, and some cinnamon twists. But when you pull up to the drive-thru, you notice there are a lot more cars than usual and the drive-thru lane is almost bumper-to-bumper. "That's strange," you think, "Taco Bell's never busy around this time. What could all these people be doing here?" As you slowly creep up to the order board, you finally see what all the fuss is about. Taco Bell had just launched a taco with a Dorito's Nacho Cheese shell.
Ever since the launch of the Doritos Locos Taco nearly a decade ago, the taco with a cool ranch shell has become a widely loved staple of the chain. It was met with such acclaim that the Orange County Register reported that 100 million tacos were sold in just 10 weeks. The Doritos Locos Taco is said to be one of the most successful Taco Bell items ever launched, according to The Huffington Post.
But just what exactly is the myth behind the legendary taco? Was it really a dedicated fan who invented the Doritos Locos Taco or is that story as solid as a soggy Nacho Cheese shell?
Was Todd Mills the inspiration behind the taco?
What does TSMFD stand for? It stands for Taco Shells Made From Doritos, obviously — or at least, the Facebook page that bears that name claims. The TSMFD Movement was spearheaded by Todd Mills, who envisioned a world in which tacos would be lovingly held in the shell of a Doritos chip. Mills started his revolution using only Photoshopped memes, with pop culture characters and movie stars holding Dorito shells. According to USA Today, these included Chuck Norris doing a roundhouse kick with a Doritos taco shell and Albert Einstein thinking of a revolutionary new taco invention.
Although Mills' page was popular, he may not have been the first person to suggest such an idea. In fact, Taco Bell had discussed the idea for several years, but internal problems had made actually creating it a challenge (via Business Insider). After hard work from product developer Steven Gomez, the perfect Doritos taco shell was finally achieved.
As the story goes, Taco Bell invited Todd Mills to be one of the first people to try the new Doritos Locos Taco. Unfortunately, Mills passed away sometime later in 2013 following a battle with brain cancer. Although the company never credited him with the invention of the Doritos Locos Taco, in a statement, the company referred to him as a "huge Taco Bell fan" and sent their condolences to his family.