The Mexican Pizza is proving to be even more popular than Taco Bell thought. Just as soon as the hit dish reappeared, the Mexican Pizza has once again all but disappeared from the Taco Bell menu. Customers headed to the popular Mexican-style fast-food chain hoping to place an order will likely find themselves unable to sink their teeth into the dish, but it’s not because Taco Bell opted to pull the Mexican Pizza from menus.
Just a little more than a week after returning to menus on Thursday, May 19, Taco Bell restaurants nationwide are no longer able to serve the Mexican Pizza. According to the blog Living Mas, Taco Bell underestimated the sheer popularity of the dish, and “has completely sold out of ingredients.” One source told the outlet that “the system sold 1 million more than projected and does not have the inventory to keep selling.” A second source showed the outlet information revealing that while Taco Bell was only projecting 6-8 million item sales, it has actually sold over 20 million since launch. The Mexican Pizza has proven to be so popular that it has “put Taco Bell $1 million over their profit margin for the entire year.”
Videos by PopCulture.com
Amid the Mexican Pizza shortage, new signage is reportedly being sent to stores as well as further instructions regarding what employees should tell customers. Taco Bell will also reportedly offer free tacos as a replacement. As stores are told to sell out of what they have but keep their packaging, all hope is not lost for the longevity of the Mexican Pizza. Taco Bell reportedly plans to have the Mexican Pizza available again in the fall of 2022, though an exact timeframe was not revealed and Taco Bell has not confirmed this news.
Taco Bell’s Mexican Pizza consists of seasoned ground beef and refried beans sandwiched between two crisp “pizza shell” tostadas, then smothered in diced tomatoes, a three-cheese blend and a spicy pizza sauce. The pizza originally debuted on the menu back in 1985 and quickly gained a cult following. Although it remained a mainstay on the menu for more than two decades, Taco Bell made the decision in November 2020 to remove Mexican Pizza from the menu. Following months of backlash and thousands of petition signatures, Taco Bell officially brought the pizza back on May 19. The chain had been planning to celebrate the return with Mexican Pizza: The Musical, a TikTok musical featuring Dolly Parton and Doja Cat, on May 26. However, Taco Bell later announced on social media that the musical was postponed and would be rescheduled.