Taco Bell boldly announces new “fry innovation” [Updated]

Update, January 23, 2020: At long last, our sleepless nights of imagining the new Nacho Fries flavor have come to an end! Taco Bell has announced in a press release that the return of Nacho Fries comes a brand-new flavor in the fast food chain’s oeuvre: Buffalo Chicken Nacho Fries will be available for a limited time starting January 30.

“They come boldly seasoned and topped with shredded chicken, shredded cheese, warm Nacho Cheese sauce, pico de gallo, cool sour cream, and then finished with a delicious drizzle of tangy buffalo sauce,” says Taco Bell’s press release. It also notes that the fries can be added to a burrito, which sounds exactly like something Taco Bell would do.

We’re big buffalo chicken fans at The Takeout, so we approve of Taco Bell expanding into this tangy blaze-orange space. These fries are available at limited U.S. locations for an unspecified amount of time, but if you miss out, you can count on us to fill the buffalo chicken void.

Original post, January 9, 2020: Dipping fingers at the ready! Nacho Fries are returning to Taco Bell menus nationwide on January 30, according to a press release from the company.

What are Nacho Fries, you ask? My brain is so broken by 21st-century fast-food innovation that I forgot, for a moment, that “nacho” and “fries” are two fully distinct foods that don’t usually go together. Nacho Fries are fries with nacho flavor seasoning that come with cheese dipping sauce. America went absolutely bonkers for them in 2018 when they first appeared on the menu, and the product has been a huge success whenever Taco Bell has offered it on and off over the past two years. It’s unclear how long the fries will remain available this time around.

Most exciting of all, the Taco Bell press release promises an “all-new flavor innovation that’s sure to receive critical and fan acclaim.” I wish I had, like, 1/100th of the self-confidence that Taco Bell has. But there’s reason to be confident in the Nacho Fries. After all, it’s the best-selling product in company history.

The hyped-up mystery flavor remains unannounced, but we at The Takeout are really gunning for Cool Ranch Doritos flavor. The chain killed its delicious Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Tacos in August 2019, which we firmly believed to be a mistake. In re-releasing Nacho Fries, Taco Bell has the opportunity to make up for this massive err in judgment. If not, let’s hope the fries stick so some classic Mexican flavors—ceviche fries, anybody?