Attention tacoholics! Capitalism's invisible hand has provided yet another subscription service, but this time it's… for tacos. Whether anyone ever asked for this is unclear. Taco Bell is testing its Taco Lovers Pass at 20 locations across the state of Arizona. The golden ticket of tacos gives its holders access to a secret menu of free tacos, offering a daily fix of highly processed Tex Mex. A taco a day keeps the apple away— wait, is that not how the saying goes? Maybe eating cheesy oversized fast food items every day isn't the best option for your health (or gastrointestinal wellness), but who am I to tell you what to do?
Taco Bell is not the only first fast-food restaurant looking for creative ways to boost customer loyalty.
"In recent years and especially during the pandemic, more restaurants have been turning to loyalty programs to recruit or maintain customers: Burger King and McDonald's both introduced rewards programs over the past year; Starbucks's longtime rewards program grew by 2.5 million users over the pandemic; Panera Bread, which launched a loyalty program in February 2020, signed up 500k paid subscribers by the following October.
Some independent restaurants have also asked customers to join subscription services, guaranteeing some incoming cash during an incredibly uncertain time. For chains, such programs both cater to repeat customers and — most importantly, money-wise — provides brands with a massive amount of customer personal data, which it can then use to further market products and campaigns. Starbucks has used the data it's gathered from users for everything from figuring out where to open new stores to shaping the menu. So way to go, you loyalty program-loving sheeple! Now Taco Bell and the Deep State are going to know how much you love soft potato tacos."
Jaya Saxena for Eater
