How Hardcore Taco Bell Fans Brought The Beefy Crunch Burrito Back With Memes And A Massive Online Movement

taco bell beefy crunch burrito

Taco Bell


Taco Bell fans are some of the most rabid fans in the fast food universe. But back in 2011, the chain kicked the proverbial beehive when they discontinued a long-time fan favorite from their menu, the Beefy Crunch Burrito. The menu change was on the heels of axing The Cheesy Double Beef Burrito in 2010, creating for perfect storm of outrage.

Taco Bell briefly brought back the Beefy Crunch Burrito in 2013 with spicy Fritos, but it was a short-lived joy before being discontinued yet again.

So why so much love for the Beefy Crunch Burrito and The Cheesy Double Beef Burrito? Allow these Taco Bell-loving Redditors to explain exactly what made the Beefy Crunch Burrito so amazing:

Same for The Cheesy Double Beef Burrito:

In short, both are the perfect balance of bang-for-your-buck when you’re on a budget and hungry. It’s the perfect way to satisfy a craving  when you just have a couple crumpled dollar bills in your pocket.

When Taco Bell cut the Beefy Crunch Burrito for the second time, what they didn’t expect was a social media tsunami calling for its return. At that moment, a movement was born, much like the movement to bring back the soda Surge and French Toast Crunch.

Here’s the story of how Taco Bell fans put a full-court press on Taco Bell to bring their beloved burritos back from the dead.

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Flashback to 2014

The Beefy Crunch Burrito movement begins, along with a push for Taco Bell to get throwback items like the Cheesy Double Beef Burrito back on the menu. Rabid fans of the menu item start Beefy Crunch Awareness Day on May 12th. On that day, a movement officially begins.

On Facebook, two men named Richard and Philip started The Beefy Crunch Movement Facebook page. Together they used the page to count down the days since the last time the chain served the Beefy Crunch burrito, encouraging fans to petition Taco Bell to bring it back.

 

These weren’t just two guys crying into the wind, either. They made a flag for the movement (you’re not truly a movement until you have a flag) and accumulated more than 40,000 Facebook fans:

 

They even provided memes for ammo so fans could spread the word on Taco Bell’s social media pages:

 

Meanwhile, with encouragement from the unofficial Beefy Crunch Movement, fans start bombarding Taco Bell’s Facebook page with comments about bringing the Beefy Crunch Burrito back:

 

It wasn’t just Facebook, either. Fans on Twitter and Instagram were just as relentless:

 

 

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May 2015

The cries for the return of the Beefy Crunch Burrito are finally acknowledged by Taco Bell. Now a year’s growth and freakishly large cult following online, Taco Bell started testing the Beefy Crunch Burrito in Louisville, Kentucky for $2 a pop. Predictably, this caused Internet pandemonium. Some even planned cross-country trips just to be the first to taste the comeback of the Beefy Crunch Burrito after four years of waiting.

The Beefy Crunch Movement celebrates this as a massive win.

 

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November 2015

A ceasefire is officially declared when Taco Bell executives reach out to the Beefy Crunch Movement, with Taco Bell asking for the movement to stop being #AnnoyingAF about bringing back the Beefy Crunch.

 

Despite the ceasefire, people were growing restless. Conspiracy theories amongst Facebook commenters began to take root:

 

Meanwhile, hype for the Beefy Crunch Burrito reached a fever pitch, with some fans even getting tattoos to show their support:

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February 2016

The leaders of the Beefy Crunch Movement let their 40,000 Facebook fans know that “good things are coming.” After almost 900 days of fighting, dreams were becoming a reality.

March 2016

And a visit to the Taco Bell headquarters made it a little bit more official…

AND THE NEXT DAY, FINALLY… THE BEEFY CRUNCH BURRITO AND DOUBLE CHEESE BURRITO ARE BACK!!!!

 

The reactions were instantly ecstatic, with some close to shedding tears:

 

April 21, 2016

Taco Bell couldn’t ignore the social media movement to bring the Beefy Crunch Burrito and The Cheesy Double Beef Burrito back.

On April 21st, the Beefy Crunch Burrito and Double Cheese burrito officially re-launched at Taco Bell restaurants nationwide for just a $1. Almost instantaneously after the announcement, fans flock and instantly share how much they missed their beloved burritos.

 

And now that it’s back, some are falling in love for the first time:

When Taco Bell says “you brought it back,” in their commercials, it really is true — fans did bring it back, all thanks to the power of social media.

Brandon Wenerd is BroBible's publisher, writing on this site since 2009. He writes about sports, music, men's fashion, outdoor gear, traveling, skiing, and epic adventures. Based in Los Angeles, he also enjoys interviewing athletes and entertainers. Proud Penn State alum, former New Yorker. Email: brandon@brobible.com