Taco Bell has a reputation for being pretty cheeky. Its food is experimental, its marketing is playful, and in the parlance of you kids these days, its brand identity is “extremely online.” Now there’s a new promotion on the Taco Bell app that seemingly exists to remind us of all three of those facts.
Recall, if you will, the Fox Business clip that went viral last week: Scott Martin, a contributor to Neil Cavuto’s show, claimed in a segment about inflation that he’d spent $28 on a single lunch from Taco Bell. While the internet had a meltdown trying to imagine that much food, it turns out Martin was telling the truth: He really did drop $28 after tax and tip. But we at The Takeout determined the high price tag wasn’t due to inflation—it was because he ordered everything a la carte rather than bundling, and likely patronized a pricey Cantina location. Both of those factors can add up to lost opportunities.
Taco Bell’s official Twitter account took advantage of the viral moment, retweeting the Fox Business clip and adding the joking caption, “14 x $2 Burritos = $28. What’s your $28 order?” And today, just a week later, Taco Bell has a secret little promotion waiting for you in its mobile app.
Taco Bell’s $28 discount promotion
A Reddit user noticed the new Taco Bell promotion today and posted a screenshot to the Taco Bell subreddit. If you go to the rewards section in the app, under “Challenges,” you’ll see an offer that says, “Spend $28+ on Lunch and get 20% Off Your Next Order.” I have verified these details in the app myself, though I did have to do a little nosing around to find it; I probably wouldn’t have stumbled upon the promotion myself.
To recap: If you spend $28 on lunch at Taco Bell between the hours of 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., you’ll receive a reward good for 20% off your next purchase, up to $10, in the mobile app. I knew Taco Bell was quick on its feet, but seeing a large corporate fast food chain design and execute a discount structure in just under a week, as a bit, is pretty impressive.
A discount of 20% isn’t too shabby, either. I’m used to scoring a free taco now and then, but getting a chunk of change chipped off the total bill is just as good as a giveaway. Now, the question is, are you really going to spend $28 on one meal? Unless you’ve got a huge appetite, you might find it pretty difficult to reach that magic number without a little help from your friends, especially if you use our guide to getting the most bang for your buck at Taco Bell. So get a crew together, order a group meal via your phone, spend at least $28, and enjoy the future discount. The promotion runs until October 23, by which point it’s likely the internet will have moved on entirely, forgetting all about the infamous $28 lunch.