The waffle taco at Taco Bell is closer to becoming a reality. The company is expanding its test of the product as it prepares to break out a breakfast menu nationwide next year.
The waffle taco is breakfast wrapped up into one package of scrambled eggs, sausage inside a waffle with a side of syrup. During a test at five Southern California restaurants earlier this year, the items was a top seller during breakfast hours. Now Taco Bell wants to take it to a bigger scale and will offer a full breakfast menu at about 100 restaurants in Fresno, Calif.; Omaha, Neb.; and Chattanooga, Tenn., starting Thursday, the Associated Press reports.
According to Brian Niccol, president of Taco Bell, the test is being done to see how well the restaurants can handle the added operations of creating waffle tacos and a breakfast menu.
"You only get one shot when you go with big items," he told AP.
Breakfast if offered at about 850 Taco Bell restaurants in 10 Western states and has been experimenting with new items, including the waffle taco, before it comes out in all of the 6,000 restaurants around the country. In addition to the waffle taco, the restaurant will also start selling yogurt parfait and oatmeal.
Taco Bell isn't the only restaurants experimenting with serving food at different points in the day. In an effort to raise sales, McDoanlds is testing an "After Midnight" menu which is a mixture of breakfast items and lunch items. Taco Bell also has a "Happier Hour" promotion which features special snacks and drinks in the late afternoon, when business isn't as busy.
The parent company of Taco Bell, Yum Brands, believe offering a breakfast menu is the right way to go. President Richard Carucci said that the breakfast items only accounted for four percent of sales where it was available. "But this is before we've now dialed it up," he said.
The waffle taco was first introduced in March. The product has undergone some changes such as the frying time and temperature. The shape of the item also changed, making it easier to hold the contents. The item is 460 calories and 30 grams of fat.
The waffle taco will come to a national menu if it does well in the expanded test.
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