The Choco Taco Is Dead And People Are Not Okay

Yesterday we were devastated to break the news that the rumors were true and Klondike has in fact discontinued the Choco Taco. Almost instantly, the internet was ablaze. Yes, there are plenty of obituaries for the frozen treat and copycat recipes that just keep rolling in across social media, and some people are turning to eBay hoping to make a buck (or a thousand) off of their own freezer stash. But will these cries for justice, this ridiculously high level of demand, reach Klondike HQ? How will the company right this egregious wrong? Or was this outcry the company's plan all along?

The first thing I did in the wake of this news is head straight to eBay. The site has a history of allowing people to sell rare or discontinued foodstuffs for lots and lots of money. Sure enough, at the top of the "Choco Taco" search results is a listing for a single wrapped Choco Taco going for $1,000. One thousand dollars. For ice cream.

As of this writing, eBay notes that at least seven people are watching the sale, and we'll certainly be keeping an eye on any bidding wars that break out among Choco Taco fans. There is another listing for a box of 22 Choco Tacos being auctioned off, starting at $200. The sale will partially benefit World Central Kitchen, Inc., so if you're the bidding type, this might be the better bet. But as we move further and further away from the production of the final Choco Tacos, who knows what kind of price hike we might see.

The reactions are, in a word, passionate. Some people got political, like Twitter user Maria Leon Acosta, who wrote: "what is joe biden's plan to bring back the choco taco." Connecticut senator Chris Murphy tweeted, "NEWS: Tomorrow I am introducing legislation to invoke the Defense Production Act to mandate the continued manufacture of Choco Tacos. Please call your Senator and demand they co-sponsor."

🚨NEWS: Tomorrow I am introducing legislation to invoke the Defense Production Act to mandate the continued manufacture of Choco Tacos. Please call your Senator and demand they co-sponsor. https://t.co/7XLgs6IfOn

— Chris Murphy 🟧 (@ChrisMurphyCT) July 26, 2022

Others seemed to welcome the dessert's demise, like comedians Roy Wood Jr. and Vinny Thomas. "2 years ago, Choco Taco Hive came for me. Yet here I stand, vindicated," Wood Jr. tweeted. "Choco taco was hard to eat and ugly to look at. I do not celebrate its death, however, I do not mourn," Thomas wrote.

2 years ago, Choco Taco Hive came for me. Yet here I stand, vindicated. You spent days slandering me. What you didn't spend, was money on them folded ass ice cream cones. Always be brave enough to stand alone. This is a beautiful day.

One down. One to go. pic.twitter.com/GKRqsFpeh5

— Roy Wood Jr- Ex Jedi (@roywoodjr) July 25, 2022

Choco taco was hard to eat and ugly to look at. I do not celebrate its death, however, I do not mourn.

— Vinny Thomas (@vinn_ayy) July 26, 2022

Over on TikTok, some users like @FoodieMob posted videos of themselves stocking up (maybe to sell on eBay later?), while others like @aaronalterman encouraged us not to panic, posting a recipe for making your own Choco Taco at home.

@aaronalterman

this was fun #chocotaco #dessert #cookingfromscratch #food

♬ original sound – Aaron Alterman

Klondike has spent the last 24 hours responding to people on Twitter to confirm the news, though it seems the brand has yet to make any sort of official announcement on any social platforms. The Choco Taco is still listed on the website with this explanation:

The Klondike Choco Taco has unfortunately been discontinued in both 1ct and 4ct pack sizes. Over the past 2 years, we have experienced an unprecedented spike in demand across our portfolio and have had to make very tough decisions to ensure availability of our full portfolio nationwide. A necessary but unfortunate part of this process is that we sometimes must discontinue products, even a beloved item like Choco Taco. We know this may be very disappointing. We hope you'll try our other delicious frozen treats, including Klondike Cones, Shakes, Sandwiches, and of course, our signature Bar available nationwide.

People are now flooding the page's reviews with pleas to keep the treat in production. "Something is wrong with your decision making!" reads one. "No, no, please don't take our Choco Tacos!" says another. Will Klondike listen?

In one reply, Klondike does mention that the company is hoping to get Choco Tacos back into ice cream trucks "in the coming years."

We know Choco Taco is a huge fan favorite and a top seller for our out-of-home business, so this is particularly painful. We're working hard to find a way to bring Choco Taco back to ice cream trucks in the coming years.

— Klondike (@Klondikebar) July 25, 2022

Already there is speculation that this is all one big marketing scheme. It's the Taco Bell model of devastating fans with the removal of a beloved menu item just to bring it back later to heroic fanfare. It certainly does seem suspicious that Klondike would try to quietly make this move in the middle of celebrating the 100th anniversary of the brand's cornerstone treat, the Klondike Bar.

There are plenty of folks online calling for a boycott of Klondike until the Choco Taco returns. We'll see if that takes hold. If it does and Klondike sales drop enough, well, the Choco Taco may return from the dead sooner than we think.