Taco Bell will restore Mexican Pizza to its menu on May 19, the chain formally announced on Monday after a reveal on the main stage of one of the nation’s most high-profile music festivals.
Doja Cat broke the news Sunday night during her set at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in Indio.
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The rapper is an influencer for Taco Bell as well as being a fan of its Mexican Pizza. That makes her voice the loudest among fans who have been agitating for the return of the item since it was withdrawn in November 2020. In its announcement, Taco Bell put the number at more than 200,000.
The May 19 date was an open secret for weeks. The fan website Living Más was among those predicting it.
Sources posted on the website include a transcript from a FranMac, a Taco Bell franchise convention held in September, and a notice of automatic supply shipments beginning in late April and with no end date.
Living Más Founder Blake Hundley gets tips from a community of about 30,000 users, plus another 30,000 in a subidiary thread on Reddit, plus some insider feedback, he said in an interview earlier this year.
He said Taco Bell sometimes “partners up” on early announcements.
“I think part of the fan loyalty to Taco Bell is Taco Bell’s loyalty back to the fans.”
In the news release, Taco Bell gave credit to fan Krish Jagirdar for sperheading a “Save the Mexican Pizza” petition on Change.org. It got nearly 125,000 signatures in the weeks before Mexican Pizza was withdrawn and now is pushing 200,000.
“The Mexican Pizza was one of those items that I feel grew in popularity after its removal,” said Hundley. “Since its removal, people have been begging for it to come back.”
Dolly Parton became a supporter. During an interview with the publication Insider she said she likes Mexican Pizza and thinks it should come back.
Taco Bell itself began teasing May 19 during the Super Bowl, when it aired a commercial with Doja Cat and also promised something special on that date to people who signed up for its loyalty program by midnight.
That reward is a free Mexican Pizza, according to Monday’s news release.
Taco Bell is also giving loyalty members early access to Mexican Pizza on May 17.
Mexican Pizza is similar to a tostada. It features ground beef and refried beans between two crispy tortillas, topped with cheese and tomato. Taco Bell added a similar item called Pizzazz Pizza to its menu in 1985. It became Mexican Pizza in 1988.
In March, Doja Cat put up a TikTok video singing the praises of Mexican Pizza, preceded by an expletive-filled video in which she said, “Just know, it’s contractual.”
Her rap includes, “This ain’t even Mexican food, but I don’t care when the clock hits 2 a.m. — p.m. if that is your mood.”
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