Some of the most iconic Taco Bell items have been lost to time, but thanks to one of the fast food chain’s special menus, customers can get a taste of decades past, particularly 2016.
Taco Bell’s Decades #TBT Menu, named after the popular hashtag that stands for Throwback Thursday, first launched in 2024 and brings back discontinued items from across the brand’s history. Last year, the TBT menu focused on resurfacing menu items from the early aughts.
But this year, the Decades menu tapped into an era that filled users on social media with nostalgia about a more carefree time: 2016.
“For decades, Taco Bell has been woven into the lives of our fans, and there’s something special about revisiting the moments and experiences that made 2016 distinctly memorable,” Luis Restrepo, chief marketing officer, Taco Bell North America, said in a statement.
This year’s 2016-inspired lineup includes four discontinued menu items:
- Naked Chicken Chalupa: The priciest item on the menu at $5.99, the Naked Chicken Chalupa features a crispy chicken shell made with white-meat seasoned chicken, lettuce, diced tomatoes, cheese, and Avocado Ranch Sauce.
- Beefy Crunch Burrito: For $2.79, customers may also grab a Beefy Crunch Burrito, featuring seasoned beef, sour cream, rice, nacho sauce, and Flaming Hot Fritos. This particular menu item was a fan favorite whose return customers begged for, even launching a Change.org petition to make the item a permanent menu staple.
- The Meximelt: This one will also come back for $2.99, with a flour tortilla filled with a three-cheese blend, seasoned beef, and pico de gallo.
- Caramel Apple Empanada: Lastly, those looking for a sweet treat may order a Caramel Apple Empanada, made of apple pieces, caramel, and pastry, for $2.99.
Beyond the menu items, Taco Bell is leaning into the element of nostalgia, a dominant marketing trend this year.
The chain partnered with Anti Social Social Club, a streetwear brand that defined the 2010s internet culture style, and Camp Snap, which makes digital cameras that look like vintage point-and-shoot versions, giving away products from the limited-edition collaboration to Taco Bell Rewards Members.
Additionally, the Tex-Mex restaurant also partnered with brands reminiscent of the year’s energy, like Divine—a no-AI six-second video app like Vine—giving users access to the app on Aug. 18 ahead of its public launch two days later.
