Taco Bell Menu Adds Two Fan Favorites 'Permanently'

The fast-food chain also has two new versions of the former comfort food limited-time-offer.

Taco Bell changes its menu more than any other fast-food chain. Items pop up for a limited time, then sometimes disappear forever. In other cases, the Yum Brands (YUM) - Get Free Report chain likes to tease its customers by waiting years before bringing back a popular item making it an event when it eventually happens.

That has created a sort of immediacy around the Taco Bell menu. When the Mexican chain offers something you remember fondly or has a new offering you want to try, it's best to do that quickly because whatever it is may only be there as long as supplies last.

DON'T MISS: Taco Bell Says Goodbye to a Fan Favorite

Taco Bell, more than any of its fast-food rivals, understands how to keep things interesting and make people want to see what's new, returning, or on its way out. Fans of the chain, of course, have lobbied the company to bring back some of their favorites, and that has worked but usually with limited-time offers (LTOs).

What's extremely rare is for something to leave the Taco Bell menu and then, due to popular demand come back, not just for a few weeks, but as a permanent menu addition. Now, of course, permanent in the fast food world is relative because decisions can always change, but for now, Taco Bell is bringing back two versions of a beloved comfort food treat to its permanent menu and testing two more takes on the beloved classic.

Taco Bell Embraces An American Classic 

While tacos and burritos are comfort food in their own right, Taco Bell has often combined classic Mexican flavors with an American twist. That's probably the best way to describe the Grilled Cheese Buritto, a former limited-time offer that was a very strong seller.

Now, the chain is bringing back two versions of the Grilled Cheese Burrito -- the steak and seasoned beef varieties -- to its permanent menu, effective now, with no warning that the beloved item was set for a comeback.

The Grilled Cheese Burrito deftly ties together a classic Mexican dish with the spirit of an American comfort food classic.

"Seasoned beef, nacho cheese sauce, seasoned rice, fiesta strips, creamy chipotle sauce, reduced-fat sour cream, and three-cheese blend wrapped inside a warm flour tortilla, with even more three-cheese blend grilled on the top," is how the company describes the seasoned beef version of the Grilled Cheese Buritto on its website.

The steak variant of the returning classic is fairly similar using steak instead of seasoned beef. You can, of course, leave off the beef if you're looking for a vegetarian take on the dish.

Taco Bell Tests Two New Grilled Cheese Burritos

The fast-food giant also loves to offer new variants on its classic menu items. Sometimes that can be as simple as swapping out an ingredient or two. That's what Taco Bell is doing with two new versions of the Grilled Cheese Burrito, California Steak, and Bacon, which it's testing at select locations now, according to a report from The Fast Food Post.  

These new versions are pretty similar to the existing ones:

• The California Steak Grilled Cheese Burrito features marinated grilled steak, Nacho Fries, fiesta strips, guacamole, diced tomatoes, warm nacho cheese sauce, and reduced-fat sour cream wrapped in a warm flour tortilla, with three-cheese blend grilled on top.
• The Bacon Grilled Cheese Burrito consists of marinated grilled steak, bacon, potato bites, creamy chipotle sauce, warm nacho cheese sauce, and reduced-fat sour cream wrapped up in a warm tortilla that has a three-cheese blend grilled on the top.

Adding bacon, of course, leans into the grilled cheese/American comfort food feeling (and it's hard to imagine that this version won't be an even bigger hit for the chain.)