Taco Bell to launch breakfast menu on Thursday to expand business

March 25, 2014

For some students, Taco Bell won’t just be a convenient place to prevent hangovers on late nights, but also cure them the next morning.

The franchise will introduce a breakfast menu on Thursday, which will include a Waffle Taco, an A.M. Crunchwrap, a breakfast burrito and coffee, said Marilyn Billings, Taco Bell district manager.

The reason Taco Bell is expanding its menu to include breakfast is because it sees it as an opportunity to grow. Breakfast has also been successful at other fast food businesses, Billings said.

“It’s new to everyone,” she said. “When you say Taco Bell, breakfast doesn’t usually come to mind, but McDonald’s didn’t become the breakfast king overnight. We’re going to take a bite out of their sales.”

This is not the first time Taco Bell has had a breakfast menu, however.

Between 2004 and 2006, the franchise had used the Toledo market to test a breakfast menu, which had ultimately failed, Billings said.

“Back then the menu was way too large and the customers and employees were confused,” she said. “This is simple.”

The old menu was also similar to the regular menu.

“People don’t want Taco Bell for breakfast, they want breakfast,” Billings said after explaining the menu.

The Waffle Taco has a waffle shell containing egg, cheese and a choice of sausage or bacon while the A.M. Crunchwrap is a tortilla containing hashbrowns, eggs, cheese, a jalapeno sauce and a choice of sausage or bacon.

A Mexican twist on breakfast is what Dwayne Gremler, a University marketing professor, said would give Taco Bell an edge in the breakfast market.

A Taco Bell breakfast burrito might be better than a McDonald’s one because Taco Bell specializes in that type of food, which could make them stand out more, Gremler said.

“The customers’ perception is that Taco Bell and breakfast don’t go together, but if they offer a good product, it won’t matter,” he said. “You just have to get people to try the product.”

One possible way to get more people to try Taco Bell breakfast is offering it past normal hours when the restaurant gets a lot of traffic during weekend nights, Gremler said.

Sophomore Spencer Parker said he would try breakfast if it was offered at any given time.

“It would be better to have it offered 24/7 because other places don’t do that,” Parker said, although he prefers McGriddles.

Freshman Shayna Valdez thinks a Taco Bell breakfast would be interesting because it might not be as fattening as McDonald’s breakfasts.

“It would be more popular at midnight, though,” Valdez said.

Currently, the breakfast menu will be offered from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m., but Taco Bell might look to extend those hours later on, Billings said.

TACO BELL’S BREAKFAST MENU:

Waffle Taco

-waffle shell

-sausage or bacon

-egg

-cheese

A.M. Crunchwrap