FAN-FAVORITE MEXICAN PIZZA MAKES HISTORIC RETURN TO TACO BELL® THIS MAY

From performances to petitions, Taco Bell taps into fans' pent up excitement to celebrate the return of the beloved item

IRVINE, Calif., April 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- While rumors of the Mexican Pizza's return have been swirling for months, it hasn't been publicly confirmed, until now. From petitions, to memorials, to merch, the Taco Bell cult has (rightfully) been all but silent about its menu hiatus. Doja Cat, the voice of the Taco Bell people, was one of the first to confirm the news this past weekend, when she literally dropped the mic with the HOT news of the Mexican Pizza's return this May.

But, Doja wasn't the only fan who played a role in bringing back the Mexican Pizza. Equally vocal with their pleas for the menu items return were 200K+ signers of a Change.Org petition, spearheaded by superfan Krish Jagirdar. Leading up to the May 19 return, fans can expect even more ways to get involved with its historical return.

"Like many Indian-Americans who grew up vegetarian, we had limited access to the 'fun' fast food, so Taco Bell became a bridge to belonging in American culture for many kids like me who grew up in immigrant households," said Krish Jagirdar, super fan and organizer of the Change.Org petition. "That's what made it especially devastating when the Mexican Pizza was pulled from menus in 2020, but fast forward two years later and I found myself on a conference call with the Taco Bell team as they shared news of the return of the Mexican Pizza, showing that listening to their fans is clearly embedded in their DNA. It's one of the many reasons Taco Bell is more than just another fast-food restaurant."

Saucy fan pleas alone aren't all it took to get the Mexican Pizza back to menus, as the masterminds in the Taco Bell test kitchen worked to streamline operations and ingredient sourcing, and leave a lighter footprint at the same time. To expedite its return, Taco Bell has been dedicated to improving its sustainability practices, including a sauce packet recycling program pilot in the US with TerraCycle as the brand tracks towards its 2025 commitment for all recyclable, compostable or reusable consumer facing packaging.

As an IOU, Taco Bell Rewards Members who received a mystery reward back during the Big Game will score a free Mexican Pizza when it's back May 19*, and loyalty members will get first dibs with early access to the menu item beginning May 17**.

For fans wishing to snag a Mexican Pizza without leaving their home, customers can enjoy the convenience of delivery exclusively through DoorDash for the first week the iconic menu item is back (May 19 – May 26), rolling out to other delivery platforms beginning on May 27. DashPass members can exclusively enjoy $2 off one Mexican Pizza with a minimum subtotal of $12 using promo code MEXPIZZA at checkout***.

"Our menu is full of fan-favorites, but the Mexican Pizza is at the top of that list," said Mark King, CEO of Taco Bell. "From its flashy introduction to menus in 1985 as 'Pizzazz Pizza' to its inspiration behind the creation of infamous jingles, Mexican Pizza has a long history with the brand and I'm glad we could give fans what they crave and bring our classic Mexican Pizza back home where it belongs."

Vegetarian lovers have been among the most vocal and hopeful for the Mexican Pizzas return, as Taco Bell has been a haven for vegetarians**** thanks to the ability to customize. The Mexican Pizza is made up of two crispy flour shells, layered with beans, pizza sauce, seasoned beef, tomatoes and a melted three cheese blend all for $4.49****, and is available vegetarian without the seasoned beef. Fans can make it a combo with a Mexican Pizza, 2 Crunchy Tacos and a Large Fountain Drink for $8.99****.

Fans in Aruba, Costa Rica and Dominican Republic will also have the beloved Mexican Pizza back on their menus at participating restaurants on May 19. Additional offers and exclusive fan experiences will be revealed leading up to the menu item's return.

About Taco Bell Corp.  
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About Doja Cat
Grammy award winning artist, Doja Cat made her first upload to Soundcloud in 2013 at just 16-years-old. Having grown up in and around the LA area, she developed a knack for music by studying piano and dance as a kid and listening to the likes of Busta Rhymes, Erykah Badu, Nicki Minaj, Drake, and more. Soon, she went from obsessing over Catwoman (the Halle Berry version) to crate digging on YouTube. The budding talent taught herself Logic and how to compose on a midi controller. Signed to Kemosabe/RCA in 2014, she released her Purrr! EP and followed that with her debut album Amala in spring 2018, but it was her August 2018 release of "Mooo!" which catapulted her into the mainstream and was met with critical acclaim.

Doja Cat released her sophomore album Hot Pink in November 2019 to mass critical acclaim, the album was a platinum success with over 14.5 billion streams worldwide. Hot Pink features "Juicy" which hit #1 at Rhythm radio, "Say So" her GRAMMY nominated #1 smash record and "Streets", the viral sensation that soundtracked the 'Silhouette Challenge,' one of the biggest TikTok trends to date. The success of "Say So" which hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and has been RIAA certified 4x platinum and streamed over 6.7 billion times catapulted Doja into global superstardom. She has taken home the Best New Artist Award at  the MTV Video Music Awards, the MTV Europe Music Awards, the American Music Awards, the iHeart Radio Awards and the People's Choice Awards.

Doja's creativity and showmanship as a performer have been praised time and time again, she has delivered unique and show stopping performances on nearly all the major Award Show stages including the GRAMMY Awards, the AMAs, the Billboard Awards, the iHeart Radio Awards and the MTV VMAs and EMAs. Her last tour sold out in 10 minutes and she has played numerous festivals including Rap Caviar Live Miami, Posty Fest, Day n Vegas and Rolling Loud LA.

Doja Cat's GRAMMY nominated album Planet Her came out in June 2021 and dominated the charts, debuting at #1 on the Billboard Top R&B Albums chart and #2 on the Billboard Top 200 and Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, marking Doja Cat's career best and highest debut to date with 109K in total activity in the US alone. Spanning a range of genres Planet Her also generated the highest first day Spotify streams for an album by a female rapper, was the top Pop album upon release based on consumption according to MRC data, and marks both the biggest debut for female rapper and the top female R&B debut of 2021. GRAMMY winning "Kiss Me More" ft. SZA, the lead single off Planet Her is certified platinum by the RIAA and hit #1 at Top 40 and Rhythm radio with over 2.8 billion streams worldwide. Doja Cat recently became the first rapper to have 3 songs in the Top 10 at Top 40 radio. Amongst others, Doja has received 5 AMAs, 3 MTV VMAs, 3 BMI Awards, 2 MTV EMAs, 1 Billboard Music Award and 1 NAACP Image Award along with countless nominations including 11 GRAMMY Awards.

*Special reward valid from 5/19 through 11:59PM PST on 6/1 and redeemable only via the Taco Bell mobile app for in-store/drive-thru pickup orders, at participating U.S. Taco Bell® locations, while supplies last. Not available for web pay ahead, pickup order or delivery order. Must be a registered Taco Bell app user in order to redeem. Reward valid once per registered user. No product or ingredient substitutions, upgrades or add-ons. Reward is non-transferable and cannot be combined with any other offer. No cash value. Terms and conditions apply.

**Early Access is only available from May 17^th- May 18^th only via the Taco Bell mobile app for instore/drive-thru pickup orders, at participating U.S. Taco Bell® locations, while supplies last. Not available with a web pay-ahead, pickup order or delivery order. Must be a registered user in the Taco Bell app in order to redeem. No limit on the number of times the challenge can be completed during promotional period. Non-transferable and cannot be combined with any other offer. Substitutions, upgrades or add-ons may incur additional charges. Check your local Taco Bell store for availability. No cash value. Additional terms and conditions apply https://www.tacobell.com/legal-notices/terms-of-use.

***$2 Off: Get $2 off one (1) Mexican Pizza at Taco Bell for orders placed on DoorDash. This offer is valid for active DashPass Users only. Offer valid from 5/19/2022 to 5/26/2022, or while supplies last. Valid only at participating Taco Bell restaurants. Limit to one (1) promotional redemption per person. Fees (including service fee), taxes, and gratuity still apply. The maximum value of discount from using the promo code is $2 with a minimum subtotal of $12. All deliveries subject to availability. Must have or create a valid DoorDash account with a valid form of accepted payment on file. No cash value. Non-transferable. Use promo code MEXPIZZA to redeem. See full terms and conditions at help.doordash.com/consumers/s/article/offer-terms-conditions.

****American Vegetarian Association-certified vegetarian food items are lacto-ovo, allowing consumption of dairy and eggs but not animal byproducts. Vegetarian and meat ingredients are handled in common, and cross contact may occur, which may not be acceptable to certain types of vegetarian diets. Neither Taco Bell, our employees, franchisees nor the AVA assume any responsibility for such cross contact

***** At participating US locations. Contact local restaurant for prices, hours and participation, which vary. Prices higher with delivery

Matt Prince – Taco Bell Corp.
[email protected]
(949) 863-4367

Robin LaConde – Edelman
[email protected]
(657) 527-1087

SOURCE Taco Bell Corp.