Taco Bell Testing New Menu Items, Including New Nacho Fries

Just a month after bringing Nacho Fries back to the menu, Taco Bell is taking the dish to the next level. After teasing a unique partnership on Monday, the beloved Mexican-style fast-food chain announced a partnership with TRUFF — the brand that makes truffle-infused hot sauce, mayo, pasta sauce and oils — to officially introduce the Loaded TRUFF Nacho Fries and the Loaded TRUFF Fries Burrito. However, despite the nationwide love for Nacho Fries, the two new menu items are currently only being offered as test items at a single location in California.

Dubbed as "new spicy creations" by Rene Pisciotti, Executive Chef at Taco Bell Corp, the Loaded TRUFF Nacho Fries and the Loaded TRUFF Fries Burrito elevate the fan-favorite Nacho Fries, which first debuted on menus back in 2018 and ultimately "changed the fry game." First in the lineup, the Loaded TRUFF Nacho Fries take seasoned fries and top them with steak, TRUFF Nacho Cheese Sauce, shredded cheddar cheese, tomato, and reduced-fat sour cream. The Loaded TRUFF Fries Burrito take that dish to the next level by taking all of those ingredients and wrapping them in a warm tortilla.

"We are constantly inspired by Taco Bell's ability to evolve with pop culture and create conversation-generating experiences, which is why the brand immediately stood out as the perfect partner for our first-ever QSR offering," Nick Guillen, Co-Founder and Co-CEO at TRUFF, said of the partnership. "Together, we've created an unexpected mashup of TRUFF and Taco Bell sauces that is distinctively delicious. We are excited to share this game-changing sauce and elevate the conventions of fast-food."

The Loaded TRUFF Nacho Fries and the Loaded TRUFF Fries Burrito mark just the latest rendition of the Nacho Fries. The dish was first introduced in January 2018, though they disappeared from the menu not long after. After plenty of petitioning from fans, Nacho Fries made their return and have continued to come and go ever since. Along with the original version, Taco Bell has also introduced innovations like Steak Rattlesnake Fries, Reaper Ranch Fries, Buffalo Chicken Nacho Fries, and, most recently, Loaded Taco Style Nacho Fries.

While the new menu items are only available at a single location (4101 Jamboree Rd, Newport Beach, CA 92660, where they are priced at $3.49 plus tax and $0.65 for the sauce a la carte), it is possible they will one day roll out to Taco Bell locations nationwide. The chain noted that its one-restaurant tests "are an efficient way for the brand to get a pulse check on how consumers respond to a product," allowing the brand to determine if the menu item is worthy of a larger rollout. In June, the chain carried out one-restaurant tests with the Naked Chalupa with a Crispy Plant-Based Shell. That test followed the April one-restaurant test of the Cravetarian Taco.