9 Of The Biggest Mistakes People Make When Ordering At Taco Bell

Glen Bell opened the first Taco Bell location in Downey, California, in 1962. Today, there are more than 7,000 locations and the Mexican-inspired franchise has become one of the most popular fast food joints in the U.S.

As popularity grew, Taco Bell perfected its classics: crunchy and soft tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and more. But over the course of the past two decades, the chain has dedicated itself to providing a uniquely customizable experience for customers, yet some people still make mistakes when ordering. The restaurant is well-known for its constantly rotating menu, where it experiments with new items, and often brings back seasonal or fan-favorite products.



Taco Bell proudly serves vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options, and makes customization simple so that everyone can find something delicious to enjoy. While most fast food lovers believe they have cracked the code to the perfect order, some Taco Bell superfans might be missing out on easy ways to optimize their Taco Bell order. From neglecting secret menu items and creative add-ons to missing out on money-saving ordering hacks, these are some of the biggest mistakes people make when ordering at Taco Bell.

1. Mistake: Not ordering through the Taco Bell app and becoming a rewards member Using the Taco Bell app to order your meals is advantageous for numerous reasons. Namely, you receive points for each order that you place and these points are automatically credited to your account.

Customers receive 10 points for each dollar spent and then earn a reward every 250 points earned. Points can be used to redeem free popular menu items such as cinnamon twists, cheesy bean & rice burritos, crunchy tacos, and more. After you rack up 2,000 points you enter the Fire! Tier of the reward program, earning you more points per dollar spent and gaining access to additional free menu items.

Outside of earning points on each order, ordering through the app allows you to easily customize orders, skip the line at the register, and see what drool-worthy new menu items are dropping before their official release. Not to mention, Taco Bell offers a free welcome reward when you sign up for the rewards program through the app, and who doesn't love free food? 2. Mistake: Not ordering nacho fries inside your entrée Taco Bell's Nacho Fries are one of the most popular limited-time menu items.

They are seasoned with Mexican spices and served with the infamous nacho cheese dipping sauce. The restaurant frequently cycles them on and off the menu despite consumer outcry for them to be a permanent menu item. According to some employees, the reason the fries are not a permanent item is because they are difficult to store and prepare in large quantities.

However, when they are available, ordering this menu item as a side is not the only way to enjoy the bold flavors. You can request that the Nacho Fries be added to your burrito, quesadilla, Crunchwrap, or almost any other menu item as a genius ordering hack that really enhances your meal. The Taco Bell app also has an option allowing you to include Nacho Fries in your menu item.

3. Mistake: Not taking advantage of the secret menu Like so many fast food restaurants, Taco Bell's secret menu has tons of ingenious ordering hacks that take your meal to the next level. The secret menu is perfect for those looking to spice up their regular order or who want to try something entirely new.

Additionally, it is particularly useful for customers who want to recreate seasonal or temporary menu items. For instance, the Quesarito was one of Taco Bell's popular menu items that was removed in 2023 . According to the secret menu, if you order a quesadilla with beef, sauce, sour cream, and rice on the side, you can assemble your very own Quesarito yourself.

Additionally, the secret menu has products that have never been featured on the main menu. One of which is the Hulk burrito, in which all you have to order is a regular bean and cheese burrito with guacamole inside. Another fan favorite is the Superman burrito, which is a Cheesy Double Beef Burrito with potatoes, sour cream, guacamole, and crispy tortilla strips added inside.

Whether you're upgrading your quesadilla , mixing sauces to create your very own flavor profile, or trying out something entirely new, the secret menu has you covered. Yum! 4. Mistake: Not ordering Fresco style as a healthier option While Taco Bell is not known for being a particularly healthy food option (no fast food restaurant really is), there are ways to customize your order to be more nutritious and less caloric.

Almost any menu item can be ordered Fresco Style as a healthier alternative . A Fresco Style meal involves swapping ingredients with healthier options. For instance, high-fat ingredients like sour cream, cheese, or mayonnaise-based sauces can be removed and replaced with diced tomatoes (or pico de gallo at some locations).

This way, you can still enjoy the tasty menu items you love, but they can be a little healthier. It's also a popular option for those who do not eat dairy and still want to enjoy Taco Bell. While most employees will be familiar with Fresco Style, you can always just request to remove or replace whichever specific ingredients you wish at the kiosk, register, drive-thru, or through the app.

5. Mistake: Not visiting during happy hour The afternoon slump comes for all of us eventually, and Taco Bell has just the solution to beat it and finish the day refreshed and energized. If you're not ordering during Taco Bell's happy hour then you're missing out on a simple way to save big on your favorite beverages.

The fast food joint has a Happier Hour from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. daily.

During this time, all medium drinks and regular freezes are only $1. Prices vary by location but the medium soft drinks ordinarily cost between $3 and $4. The promotion includes the incredibly popular Baja Blast freeze that Taco Bell has come to be known for.

In fact, the chain is releasing the first new flavor, Baja Blast Midnight , this year, so keep an eye on that Happier Hour menu. While most locations participate in Happier Hour, it is important to review the website for the closest location to you to confirm participation, prices, and hours. If you have the Taco Bell app, a pop-up will appear in the drinks tab to remind you of the deal during the Happier Hour window.

6. Mistake: Not saving money by ordering off the Cravings Value Menu Taco Bell provides lots of ways for customers to save on their orders, and the Cravings Value Menu is one of the simplest ways to enjoy a meal on a budget. This value menu features 10 different menu items for $3 or less.

The menu features vegetarian options as well as options for meat lovers, all of which can be customized to suit customer preferences, just like the regular menu. Some of the Cravings Value Menu items include the cheesy bean and rice burrito, chicken enchilada burrito, cheesy double beef burrito, loaded beef nachos, double stacked taco, and more. Modifications and add-ons may come at an additional cost.

While menu items are occasionally rotated out, the restaurant typically tries to keep some vegetarian menu items on the Cravings Menu so that everyone can enjoy an affordable meal. 7. Mistake: Not customizing the cheesy bean and rice burrito Taco Bell's cheesy bean and rice burrito is included on its value menu and has been a long-time fan-favorite.

It is simply made with refried beans, seasoned rice, cheesy nacho sauce, and creamy jalapeño sauce wrapped in a flour tortilla. And while this $2 item is packed with flavor on its own, it is very easily customizable. You can add your favorite sauce, meat, or additional cheese to your burrito, or even asked for it to be grilled and enjoy a crispy tortilla.

You can bulk it up and give it additional flavor by adding onions, lettuce, or potatoes. One fairly popular modification is to substitute the refried beans for black beans. Taco Bell even provides recommendations for ways to customize this menu item on its site.

You can "make it supreme" by adding tomatoes and sour cream or make it "fresco" by replacing the dairy products with pico de gallo. The customizations are endless, but keep in mind that certain additions will cost extra. 8.

Mistake: Not swapping meat for potatoes or beans in popular menu items for a vegetarian option Over the past few years, the fast food giant has made an effort to provide vegetarian and even vegan options for its customers . In fact, according to customers, Taco Bell typically ranks high as one of the easiest fast food spots to score vegan and vegetarian options. The restaurant marks a green "V" next to vegetarian items so that they are easily identifiable.

However, simple swaps can also make most of the standard menu items vegetarian without losing the tasty flavor they're known for. For instance, the beef in the Crunchwrap Supreme can be replaced with potatoes for a meat-free option. The easiest way to make menu items vegan is to swap the meat for potatoes or beans and make it fresco style to replace the dairy products.

In addition, some of the sweet treats on the menu, like the cinnamon twists, are also vegetarian. Taco Bell offers a list of vegan and vegetarian-friendly menu items and ingredients on its site to make it simple for everyone to customize their meal based on individual diet preferences. 9.

Mistake: Not ordering your burrito grilled Taco Bell first introduced the grilled cheese burrito in 2020 as a temporary menu item. After fans expressed great interest, the chain brought it back as a permanent fixture to the menu. The cheesy beef-stuffed interior and additional three-cheese mixture melted on top had customers begging for more.

It further skyrocketed in popularity in 2024 as customers started sharing their customizations and modifications to the burrito and eating them in videos . However, not all customers know that you can actually ask for almost any menu item to be grilled for no charge at all. Whether it be a burrito, Crunchwrap, or quesadilla, you can request it to be grilled for an additional toasty crunch that doesn't hurt the wallet.

The quesadillas and Crunchwraps are already grilled when ordered, but you can ask for them to be double-grilled for an extra melty, cheesy, and crispy tortilla..