Taco Bell is cutting potatoes off the menu, to the horror of some vegetarian and vegan customers.
On Friday, the fast-food chain announced that in mid-August it would remove potato options from the menu, including the Spicy Potato Taco, Cheesy Fiesta Potatoes, and grills loaded with cheese potatoes.
“We know that some vegetarian items may disappear, but the Taco Bell menu is still highly customizable,” Taco Bell said in a press release. “Don’t forget to look for the vegetarian symbol on the menus to indicate vegetarian products, and remember that you can trade any protein for beans on any menu item.”
The loss of potatoes in particular sparked a backlash on social media.
—Honeybun (@lilpochaco) July 14, 2020
—Tori (@seitanwhore) July 14, 2020
—Taylor (@tayloristigner) July 15, 2020
The decision to remove potatoes from the menu is a particularly difficult loss for some vegetarian and vegan Taco Bell fans.
—BLACKLIVESMATTER (@tyrathetaurus) July 14, 2020
—VIVA EVO (@galacticdad) July 14, 2020
—Rosie ♉︎ (@rorodababy) July 17, 2020
When asked for more information about Taco Bell’s plans to fill the void left by the potatoes, a Taco Bell representative emphasized that the chain plans to continue pushing for more vegetarian options.
“We launched the new Vegetarian Panel earlier this year, ahead of our COVID-19 related changes in operations in recent months,” the representative said in an email to Business Insider. “While some of the vegetarian favorites are retiring, we continue to innovate in all categories, including plant-based.”
Last year, Taco Bell told Business Insider that the chain was avoiding fake meat options, instead focusing on “real plant-based protein” like beans and potatoes. However, in February, CEO Mark King told Bloomberg that the chain believes “plant-based protein has a place on the menu,” and that it had recently met with Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat.
