Taco Bell test marketing cupcakes and smoothies

Categories: News

TacoBell.jpg
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Taco Bell is apparently seeing fit to test market, of all things, red velvet cupcakes and smoothies as well as some other "mini-snacks and desserts" and a full juice bar at some of its California outlets reports one of our new favorite bloggers, the Orange County Register's Fast Food Maven. Unsurprisingly (?), first impressions were nothing to write home about:


About the smoothie:

I was hopeful that the Strawberry Banana smoothie would be good. It wasn't. There was no trace of banana in it, and the strawberry flavor tasted very artificial.
And the cupcakes:
Things got worse with the cupcakes. I cut them up, and shared them with my co-workers, all of whom gasped when I told them the treats were from Taco Bell. One co-worker said, "Is the frosting beef-flavored?"

We think the "co-worker" might be on to something! If the success of such gross-out products as, say, BeanBoozled and mandles are any indication, people might actually flock to Taco Bell for meat-laced frosting just for the novelty of it.

What are some other notable test marketing experiments, either failed or destined for failure? Starbucks' limp breakfast sandwiches spring to mind (are those still around), McPizza (of course) ... what else?

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