Leader Of The Beefy Crunch Movement | Taco Bell

Axton was dead serious about his fandom; he swears that it’s the Flamin’ Hot Fritos that make the burrito perfect. Taco Bell currently offers a menu item called the Beefy Melt Burrito, which is the exact same build as the Beefy Crunch, with one key difference: it contains red tortilla strips rather than the Flamin’ Hot Fritos. Not the same.

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Taco Bell is well aware of the fervor behind the return of the Beefy Crunch Burrito (the video above was produced by Taco Bell itself), and the item has reemerged a few times in the decade since its discontinuation. It was available in Louisville only in 2015, then came back nationally in 2016 and most recently in 2018.

Asked whether the current in-app poll would satisfy members of the Beefy Crunch Movement, Axton provided The Takeout with the following response:

The ultimate purpose of the Movement is to bring back the Beefy Crunch Burrito with Flamin’ Hot Fritos to Taco Bell. Permanently preferred, but some semblance of a regular limited time promotion at the very least. While this vote is yet another hoop to jump through for Beefy Crunch fans, we’re once again stepping up to the plate, because that’s what we do. I see this vote as an opportunity for the amazing 12+ year Beefy Crunch Movement story to be told while in the spotlight. Win or lose, the Movement will not stop.

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That’s a professional response if I’ve ever seen one. Diplomatic, too. Daily voting continues within the Taco Bell app until April 12. As it stands currently, the Beefy Crunch Burrito has a solid lead, with a vote of 60% to the Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Taco’s 40%. But with just under two weeks of voting remaining, this is anyone’s game.

As for the burrito itself, I’ve eaten plenty of Beefy Crunches whenever they reemerged for those brief moments in time. They’re not full of bells and whistles, but that’s what makes them pretty good—and I agree with the Movement, in that the Flamin’ Hot Fritos are non-negotiable. But for me, it’s less about the burrito and more about the joy of watching people band together behind their mutual love of something fun. What is it about Taco Bell in particular that inspires such devotion?

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Axton noted that eight Beefy Crunch Burrito fans have even gone so far as to get permanent tattoos of the thing to convey their passion for it.

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“They went all-in,” Axton said. “So we will go all in with them.”