Taco Bueno is kicking off 2018 with new menu items, including a perfected queso, inspired by loyal customers and committed fans, affectionately known as Buenoheads. Taco Bueno’s Innovation Team talked Tex-Mex with thousands of customers, meeting face-to-face with many of them over the last six months, to understand what they want in great-tasting food.

“Serving the best tasting Tex-Mex to our guests is our top priority, and we believe inviting them into the process for product development is the best way to achieve this goal,” says Jeff Forrester, vice president of culinary and supply chain for Taco Bueno. “Without hesitation, our guests welcomed the opportunity enthusiastically.”

This week, Taco Bueno will open its doors to serve its newest customer-inspired menu items:

  • An enhanced, signature queso and two new loaded quesos
  • Fresh, thin, crispy, restaurant-quality tortilla chips and all new, authentic, flour tortillas
  • Three new additional platters featuring chicken, queso and shrimp

“We have 50 years of heritage, family and fans, and the recent results gained from customer feedback doesn’t end with menu development but will impact everything we do from now on,” says Sarah Beddoe, chief marketing officer of Taco Bueno. “2018 is going to be a really fun year for us to get more involved in our local communities and continue the dialogue with customers on what is next for their Taco Bueno. We invite the feedback, we are listening, and we are up to the challenge, so the hashtag #LetsTalkTexMex is our invitation.”

The 2018 Difference: Taco Bueno Queso

“As we looked back in time, we were inspired by an original Taco Bueno recipe,” Forrester says. “The attributes of our original recipe match what our customers want. We are pumped, because they are pumped—and it is darn good queso.”

Taco Bueno’s new signature queso is creamy, packed with fresh peppers and is all natural with no artificial coloring or flavors. It can be used as a dip or a sauce. For a limited time, Taco Bueno will offer a regular-sized queso along with tortilla chips for $.99.

Additionally, Taco Bueno is introducing two signature loaded quesos:

  • Cowboy Queso—topped with vegetarian black beans, freshly-made guacamole, sour cream and homemade pico de gallo served with two bags of tortilla chips.
  • Chili Bean Queso—featuring fresh, never frozen, ground beef, chili sauce and slow-roasted refried beans served with two bags of tortilla chips.

Tex Mex Platters

Taco Bueno is bringing more options to their famous platter menu by introducing three new menu items that highlight variety and choice. Customers now have their choice of rice and beans on every platter—cilantro lime white rice or Mexican rice and slow-simmered refried beans or fat-free vegetarian black beans.

  • Cheesy Fajita Chicken Chilada Platter—two warm, all-white meat fajita chicken chiladas smothered in spicy chili sauce and Taco Bueno’s new signature creamy queso. They’re paired with tortilla chips, the choice of rice and beans topped with a dollop of cool sour cream, a scoop of fresh-made guacamole and homemade pico de gallo.
  • Grilled Fajita Chicken Soft Taco Platter—two all-white meat fajita chicken soft tacos carefully wrapped in fresh-made flour tortillas. They’re paired with tortilla chips, the choice of rice and beans served with a bed of crisp lettuce, a dollop of cool sour cream, a scoop of fresh-made guacamole and homemade pico de gallo.
  • Crispy Shrimp Taco Platter—two crispy, shrimp soft tacos carefully wrapped in fresh-made flour tortillas paired with tortilla chips, the choice of rice and beans served with a bed of crisp lettuce, a dollop of cool sour cream, a scoop of fresh-made guacamole and homemade pico de gallo.

Taco Bueno currently has 184 locations and offers door-to-door delivery options through a variety of delivery apps including UberEats, GrubHub and DoorDash.

Fast Casual, Menu Innovations, News, Taco Bueno