Taco Bell trotted out almost as many celebrities as it did new menu items during the company’s now-annual Live Mas Live event, this time in Hollywood, which is not to say that there weren’t a lot of new menu items.
There were just a lot of celebrities, including the actor Jason Sudekis, the NFL wide receiver Davante Adams, the figure skater Tara Lipinski, college football champion quarterback Fernando Mendoza and musicians like Benson Boone, Demi Lovato and Lil Jon, among others.
That’s what happens when you take what had been a showcase of the chain’s new menu items and turn it into a made-for-streaming event, which in this case is being shown on Peacock.
“I think we’re going to make some wrongs right,” Chief Brand Officer Taylor Montgomery said at the event. “And we’re going to really address some of the big questions you have out there.”
It’s on-brand for Taco Bell to take its event and make it into a variety show complete with mini-games, celebrity cameos, dancing tacos and even a small choir. But it’s also understandable: Taco Bell is the country’s fourth-largest chain, and right now one of its hottest.
Same-store sales increased 7% last year, despite an environment that’s been tough on the fast-food business.
A giant taco and Fire sauce packet.
Much of that is due to the company’s almost constant product innovation, which is what led Taco Bell to create Live Mas Live in the first place.
The first event, which was put together in just a couple of months, was patterned after Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference, only for Crunchwraps rather than iPhones.
Traditionally, restaurant chains send out releases and other marketing materials as the year goes on, in advance of their introduction. Yet so many websites and social media accounts were beating Taco Bell to this that the company decided to hold an event and tell everybody itself.
These days the event has become part of the Taco Bell aura. Live Mas Live is now aimed at the celebrity-and-influencer culture, which is another reason for the chain’s success of late. The event featured a “purple carpet” at the Hollywood Palladium complete with paparazzi and stands where people could pose in front of fluted glasses filled with either champagne or Mountain Dew Baja Blast. People could take their photos in front of a giant packet of Fire sauce being poured on a larger taco.
Food items in the press room were displayed under lights, the better to take photos with, and lighting enabled social media personalities to test the items on camera. And everything was bathed in purple and orange lights.
The event will not keep Taco Bell from marketing these items as they are ready to be released to the public, which is another part of the fast-food chain’s genius. The chain not only will get all the marketing from Live Mas Live, it will still get all the regular attention for these same items all year.
Finally. Crème Brulee in Crunchwrap form.
Here are the items revealed at the event:
Nacho Fries will be on the permanent menu, but this year there will also be Flamin’ Hot Nacho Fries.
Diablo Dusted Crispy Chicken Nuggets. These are surprisingly spicy for a major chain. They feature Diablo seasoning.
Doritos Cool Ranch Dusted Crispy Chicken Nuggets with Doritos Cool Ranch Dipping Sauce.
Flamin’ Hot Dusted Crispy Chicken Nuggets. You get the picture.
Mountain Dew Baja Midnight Pie. “Inspired” by the Baja Blast Midnight drink and tastes like passionfruit.
Crème Brulee Crunchwrap Slider. The best thing we’ve tasted this year. It’s a dessert Crunchwrap with a vanilla filling and a caramelized cinnamon sugar crust.
Cheesy G Sliders. Soft flatbreads wrapped around a white-corn shell with three cheeses and a choice of steak or chicken.
Cantina Chicken Mexican Pizza with Jalapeno Citrus Salsa. A fancied-up chicken version of the chain’s Mexican Pizza.
Mexican Pizza Empanadas. These are bite-sized empanadas filled with seasoned beef and and a three-cheese blend served with a side of Mexican Pizza sauce.
Flamin’ Hot Mini Taco Salad. A tortilla bowl rimmed with Flamin’ Hot seasoning and filled with seasoned beef and taco toppings.
Milk Bar Birthday Cake Empanada. A crispy empanada filled with birthday cake batter and topped with pink frosting and sprinkles.
Chocolate Fudge and Caramel Empanadas. A two-pack dessert with one each. These are available now.
Strawberry and Cream Mexican Pizza Bite. A sweet toastada layered with cheesecake filling, cinnamon-sugar strawberries and white chocolate.
Mountain Dew Baja Midnight Zero. A zero-sugar version of Baja Midnight.
Strawberry Horchata Refresca. A horchata-inspired beverage with strawberry syrup and topped with strawberry pieces.
Cold Brew with Purple Horchata Cold Foam. Cold Brew finished with purple foam infused with cinnamon and vanilla. (Only at the Live Mas Café.)
Salt & Straw Tacolate Chiller. A “sippable evolution” of the Tacolate, also available only at Live Mas Café.
Fire Queso Sauce Packet. An edible queso take on the Taco Bell sauce packet.
Mountain Dew Baja Blast Under Eye Patches. Caffeine-infused eye patches colored like the Baja Blast. I can’t believe I wrote any of those sentences.
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