DISCUSSION
Will Taco Bell lovers sign up for a taco a day?
Written by Tom Ryan
Taco Bell is testing a one-month subscription program, Taco Lovers Pass, offering one taco per day.
The chain is trialing the program at 17 restaurants in Tucson, AZ. The monthly cost ranges from $5 and $10, depending on the location. Consumers can purchase the pass on the Taco Bell app and then access a menu of daily tacos. The seven currently available, including the Doritos Locos Taco and Crunchy Taco Supreme, are normally priced in a range from $1.49 and $2.89.
Redemptions are only available through the app. The program is running from Sept. 9 to Nov. 24.
The test comes on top of the 2020 launch of the Taco Bell Rewards loyalty program that lets members earn points for purchases. David Gibbs, CEO of Taco Bell’s parent YUM! Brands, said on a recent quarterly call that the program is driving “significant uptick in frequency and higher spend per visit.”
It’s unknown whether the Taco Bell subscription program is seen by the fast-feeder as a limited-time or everyday promotion.
Among limited-time offers, among the best known is Olive Garden’s which offers seven weeks of Never Ending Pasta Bowls for $100 per pass. The brand introduced the program in 2014 to great fanfare and has periodically brought it back to quick sellouts. Last fall, the Italian restaurant chain sold 21,000 passes. Smashburger and Red Robin have offered burger passes in limited-time promotions.
Among those with all-year subscriptions, Panera has earned the most attention for its launch in February 2020 of an $8.99 monthly program offering customers a free hot or iced cup of coffee which can be redeemed as often as every two hours, any time of the day. Restaurant Business reports the program generated nearly a half million paid subscribers about seven months after launch with 35 percent of those in the program considered new Panera customers. About 35 percent of the time those redeeming their free beverage also bought food.
Circle K introduced a $5.99 monthly plan in May that offers a daily beverage. Pret A Manger is rolling out such a program in New York and Washington D.C. after finding success in the U.K. Many local establishments have subscription programs around coffee.
- Taco Lovers Pass – Taco Bell
- Taco Bell wants to sell you a 30-day taco subscription – CNN
- The Taco Lovers Pass Will Give Us This Day Our Daily Taco Bell – Eater
- Taco Bell's New Taco Lover's Pass Offers 30 Days of Tacos for One Low Price – Food And Wine
- YUM! Brands, inc (YUM) Q2 2021 Earnings Call Transcript – YUM! Brands
- Taco Bell Celebrates Year Of Digital Acceleration By Spicing Up Rewards Program – Taco Bell
- Coffee Subscriptions A Proven Prescription To Boost Restaurant Traffic – Food Institute
- Pret A Manger Is The Latest Chain To Try A Monthly Subscription Program – Restaurant Business
- Will coffee subscriptions raise some dough for – RetailWire
- Will a new subscription program make Circle K a daily stop for members? – RetailWire
- Panera’s Unlimited Coffee Program Has Nearly 500k Paid Subscribers – Restaurant Business
- Olive Garden's Unlimited Pasta Pass Is Back — Here's How to Get One Before They Sell Out – People
- The Truth About Olive Garden's Never Ending Pasta Bowl – Mashed
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