It seemed that no food business has gone unscathed between the pandemic and the need for menu simplification with smaller staff sizes. Of the fast-food restaurants that were affected, Taco Bell is one of them, having to reduce its menu early on by excluding 12 menu items that were deemed less popular than the rest. By doing this, the pressure was lifted off staff and customers could still order their favorites, providing a balance between both... except for the potato fans, who were less than thrilled about this decision to be forced to part with their go-to starchy snack.

Three potato products were pulled in total, including the Cheesy Fiesta Potatoes, the Spicy Potato Soft Taco, and the Cheesy Loaded Potato Grillers. The chain reassured customers that the change was unfortunate but necessary, and even promised some new plant-based options as well as the return of customer favorites. Even so, this wasn't enough for the potato-loving group of fans to accept the change and recently, Taco Bell remedied the situation by bringing back the beloved potatoes. In honor of the return of these satisfying home fries, it's time to go back in time and take a look at some more menu items that were discontinued - not due to a pandemic, but because they were limited offerings and still left some fans heartbroken. To this day, the words 'BLT taco' can't be uttered without hearing hushed voices and a sob in the background.

Cinnamon Crispas

The compromise after getting rid of these delicious, sweet tortilla chips is the current Cinnamon Twists that are on the menu, which are reminiscent of pork rinds but taste like Cinnamon Toast Crunch. The result is nothing like what Cinnamon Crispas were and there have been requests to bring them back... to no avail.

Alas, the days of slightly warm, cinnamon-sugar tortilla chips are now limited to at-home recreations and the dreams fans once have that were full of their sweet goodness. There was nothing like finishing off ten Meximelts and then diving into a small bag of these babies.

Chicken Caesar Grilled Stuft Burrito

The Chicken Caesar burrito, in particular, was singlehandedly the most popular of the entire Stuft menu. In its absence, there was a semi-healthy, loaded void that was left, with absolutely nothing to fill it.

No longer could people stop by for their coveted Caesar burrito, and, at the time, there was nothing quite like it anywhere else. It was really the crunchy red strips that put this all over the top, adding the perfect amount of crunchy texture to a wrap that was filled with tender chicken, awesome seasoning, and crispy romaine lettuce. After that, customers were forced to eat actual Caesar salads, which certainly was not the same.

Fully Loaded Nachos

There are the full-loaded nachos that you can create at places like Moe's, and then there was the fully-loaded nachos that Taco Bell produced which were second to none. While some people complained about the unhealthy aspect of it all, there were others who could not do without this utterly loaded, borderline obscene nacho special.

Customers could expect crispy tortilla chips topped with double seasoned beef, sour cream, guacamole, a three-cheese blend, nacho cheese, and the best part? It was all served in an actual fried tortilla bowl. We'd probably fight anyone who said this was unnecessary.

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Cheesarito

The Cheesarito is still talked about by those who were in love with the short-lived menu item. It was a miniature version of the potential that other burritos and tacos had, making it the perfect snack or precursor to the rest of the meal. To be honest, most of us were probably snacking on these in the car on the ride home.

They consisted of cheese, scallions, and taco sauce which were then rolled up in a soft, warm tortilla. It was a secret menu item that still continues to haunt fans who couldn't get enough for the quesadilla-meatless hybrid item, and it's all we can do to not think about it too much.

BLT Taco

Granted, the BLT Taco was a bit of a strange and unusual take on a BLT sandwich and a taco but somehow, it worked. Then again, anything with crispy bacon is likely to work.

Rather than using taco sauce, this taco came with club sauce and shredded cheddar which made it even more appealing to those who were all about the Sizzlin' Bacon Menu of which this taco was part of. While it's not missed nearly as much as the others, it's still something that, for a brief time, many fans craved when the need for bacon was oh-so-real.

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