Taco Bell’s Mexican Pizza is finally coming back.
The fan-favorite item last appeared on menus in late 2020 and has since been the subject of one of the wildest, most impassioned customer-led campaigns in fast food history.
First, fans united to create a Change.org petition demanding the item’s return. The petition, which earned over 100,000 signatures in its first month, might seem a bit severe to outsiders, but for Taco Bell fanatics, it’s pretty standard behavior.
These are the same kinds of fans who literally protested in the street when Taco Bell removed potatoes from its menu and who rejoiced with Avengers memes when the chain brought back its beloved Quesalupa.
The Mexican Pizza saga got a second wind in March 2022 when rapper Doja Cat released a viral TikTok song about her love for the dish.
The video quickly gained millions of views, but the singer later sparked controversy when she released a follow-up clip claiming her decision to make the song was “contractual.” As Insider notes, Taco Bell later denied that claim via TikTok, saying the song was her idea.
Whether or not Doja Cat wanted to make the song, her efforts clearly paid off. The Mexican Pizza will permanently return to menus on May 19. According to a press releases, Taco Bell loyalty members will get early access, starting May 17.
Doja Cat, for her part, seems pretty excited about the announcement. A viral video from last weekend’s performance at Coachella features the rapper jumping up and down while screaming, “I brought back the Mexican Pizza, by the way!” The singer has since changed her Twitter name to “WE BROUGHT THE MEXICAN PIZZA BACK.”
“We finally did it,” Doja Cat wrote in a tweet that has since been deleted.
While announcing the item’s return, Taco Bell also spoke with Krish Jagirdar, the Taco Bell superfan who started the Change.org petition. After his campaign ended successfully, with over 171,000 signatures, Jagirdar told the company what Mexican Pizza meant to him.
“Like many Indian Americans who grew up vegetarian, we had limited access to the ‘fun’ fast food, so Taco Bell became a bridge to belonging in American culture for many kids like me who grew up in immigrant households,” he said in a press release. “That’s what made it especially devastating when the Mexican Pizza was pulled from menus in 2020.”
The Mexican Pizza — which features two layers of tortilla shells, topped and stuffed with cheese, chopped tomatoes, pizza sauce and ground beef or beans — first hit menus in 1985. Since then, it’s been rotating on and off the menu, much to the chagrin of fans like Jagirdar.
That’s why Jagirdar said that he’s just happy to know the item is back for good.
“I found myself on a conference call with the Taco Bell team as they shared news of the return of the Mexican Pizza, showing that listening to their fans is clearly embedded in their DNA,” he said. “It’s one of the many reasons Taco Bell is more than just another fast food restaurant.”
Twitter users had similarly excited reactions.
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