FILE - Taco Bell's Mexican Pizza. (Photo by Joshua Blanchard/Getty Images for Taco Bell)
IRVINE, Calif. - Taco Bell’s Mexican Pizza is permanently returning in mid-September, according to company officials.
The Yum Brands-owned taco chain officially shared on Tuesday that its beloved menu item will return to menus nationwide on Sept. 15.
The announcement came after a recent interview with Taco Bell CEO Mark King, in which he shared about its "permanent" return.
"It’s going to be relaunched mid-September and it’s going to be a permanent item," Taco Bell CEO Mark King told Fortune Magazine in an article published on Sunday. "I had more feedback—hate mail!—over the removal of Mexican pizza [than any other time]."
Taco Bell previously eliminated its Mexican Pizza from the menu in 2020, citing a desire to create a faster and "more seamless" restaurant menu and experience during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Taco Bell cuts 5 menu items, including Mexican Pizza
The fast food chain has been creating a new streamlined menu to make room for new entries.
"It was time-consuming to make," King recalled. "It also had a number of specific items that were only for the Mexican pizza. When we went into COVID-19, we simplified the menu…trying to make it simpler for the team members."
Since then, the popular menu item has had quite the ride.
Didn’t Taco Bell already bring back the Mexican Pizza?
After Taco Bell cut the Mexican Pizza in November 2020, there was a continuous outcry from fans on social media.
The public response was so strong that the chain eventually brought it back for a six-month run in May 2022 and even made a satirical musical about the Mexican Pizza — starring Dolly Parton, among others — to celebrate.
"The marketing team made it bigger than life," King told Fortune Magazine. "One of the big advantages of Taco Bell versus our competitors really has been marketing brilliance over a very long period of time."
But soon after the relaunch, Taco Bell said it severely "underestimated" demand and quickly sold out.
Taco Bell said in late May that it was working to restock the Mexican Pizza ingredients, and the item has been temporarily off the menu.
The Mexican Pizza is made up of two crispy flour shells, layered with beans, pizza sauce, seasoned beef, tomatoes and a melted three-cheese blend. There is also a vegetarian version without the seasoned beef.
Taco Bell first introduced the Mexican Pizza in 1985 as the "Pizzazz Pizza," King said in a previous statement.
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This story was reported from Cincinnati.