Taco Bell tests new vegan Crunchwrap in Orlando
Orlando joined Los Angeles and New York City on Thursday in testing a new vegan item on fast food giant Taco Bell’s menu.
A vegan Crunchwrap debuted Thursday at the Taco Bell at 11893 E. Colonial Drive, east of Orlando with University of Central Florida to the north and Waterford Lakes Town Center to the south.
It will be available while supplies last and costs $4.99. Taco Bell does add a disclaimer that vegan and animal products are handled “in common and cross-contact may occur.”
The Crunchwrap uses a “vegan seasoned beef,” a proprietary plant-based protein in development “for years,” a Taco Bell news release said. It also includes vegan blanco sauce and warm vegan nacho sauce.
“Such a large part of our fandom is vegan or vegetarian, and we’re as committed to them as they are to us and our menu,” said Liz Matthews, global chief food innovation officer at Taco Bell, in the release. “That’s why we took so long, months and years, to release something this special; we wanted and needed to get it exactly right, to get it mouth-watering.”
Taco Bell said the test cities were chosen because of their “notable vegan populations.”
“[Orlando] is considered often to be a test market,” said San Diego-based restaurant analyst John Gordon.
Central Florida has a diverse population and less-expensive local television advertising rates than other large markets, Gordon said. Orange County’s population is 33.1% Hispanic or Latino and 22.9% Black or African American, Census data shows.
The Crunchwrap being tested at one Orlando restaurant means it is what the industry calls a “field test” and could indicate a larger market test might eventually occur here, Gordon said.
Gordon noted the importance of Taco Bell trying the menu item out as vegan offerings have smaller sales potential.
“It gets a little tricky because not everybody is interested in vegan products,” Gordon said. “They have to read this a little more carefully.”
But adding new customers could end up being a win for Taco Bell.
“The average age group of Taco Bell customers is pretty young,” Gordon said. “They’re trying to keep their core customers and then they’re trying to determine a new aspirational customer.”
Taco Bell’s Crunchwrap joins a menu of plant-based versions of fast food served at restaurants in Orlando.
Plantees opened in Orlando’s Mills 50 neighborhood last year, serving vegan burgers and fries.
“Plantees is a burger joint that piles its Impossible patties, single or double, high with cheese (yes, plant-based cheese), lettuce, tomato, pickles, grilled onions and Plant Sauce, which I gathered is a take on McDonald’s Special Sauce, with a teensy bit more tang than sugar,” wrote Orlando Sentinel food writer Amy Drew Thompson.
Winter Park Biscuit Company, meanwhile, serves up its “chik” sandwiches and biscuits as well as fries out of Orlando’s East End Market.
Staff photographer Ricardo Ramirez-Buxeda contributed to this report.
