• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Jensen Huang made his $172 billion fortune on AI chips. His family's $75 million gift to Vanderbilt argues art decides what technology is for

2

'The demographic dividend of the last 40 years is ending': J.P. Morgan says the world is running out of the two things that kept interest rates down

3

The $39 trillion U.S. national debt isn’t as high as Japan’s and Singapore’s relative to economy size—and yet it's still worse somehow

1

Jensen Huang made his $172 billion fortune on AI chips. His family's $75 million gift to Vanderbilt argues art decides what technology is for

2

'The demographic dividend of the last 40 years is ending': J.P. Morgan says the world is running out of the two things that kept interest rates down

3

The $39 trillion U.S. national debt isn’t as high as Japan’s and Singapore’s relative to economy size—and yet it's still worse somehow
RetailTaco Bell

Here’s what Taco Bell’s CEO had to say about the Crunchwrap, beer, and tacos

By
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Down Arrow Button Icon
June 9, 2015, 3:21 PM ET
Photograph by Saul Loeb - AFP/Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Taco Bell has been in the news quite a bit recently, from the fast-food chain’s ever-expanding breakfast menu to the announcement that at least one Chicago location will start testing alcohol sales.

Taco Bell CEO Brian Niccol chatted with Fortune on Tuesday about some of the recent developments at his company, which is owned by Yum Brands (YUM), including the new test location in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood that will be the first Taco Bell in the U.S. to serve alcohol. The store will sell beer, wine, and mixed drinks and it will also have what the company calls an “urban” aesthetic, including exposed brick walls and murals.

Niccol knows it’s no secret that “a lot of people like to have a beer with their taco,” and he said that the company also recognizes the opportunity to better capitalize on younger customers, among whom there exists a well-established tendency to cap off a night of drinking with a few items from the Taco Bell menu. “What we have found is the twenty-something crowd enjoys a beer with their taco and we also have a history of a late-night business where people have had their own alcohol to go with our food,” he said.

But the fast-food chain’s chief executive also stressed that the Chicago testing location is part of a bigger picture that is about much more than booze. Niccol said:

“What I’ve been telling everybody is the alcohol aspect is not the defining piece of this. Really, what defines this is getting into a smaller footprint, [with] no drive-thru, in urban locations that historically we haven’t been able to get into because we had a big store with a drive-thru. So, the push is to get Taco Bell into urban environments, create a menu that makes sense for that more pedestrian lifestyle, and in this case we’re going to test out selling alcohol to go with our food.”

Fortune also asked Niccol about Taco Bell’s push into the breakfast market, which includes a growing list of early-morning menu items such as biscuit tacos and Cap’n Crunch donut holes. The company has high hopes that these items catch on with the breakfast crowd and find success similar to that of another fairly recent menu addition, the company’s line of Doritos Locos Taco, a hugely popular menu item that recently sold its one billionth unit.

Niccol believes Taco Bell’s A.M. Crunchwrap is the best breakfast sandwich on the market and should be the breakout menu star for in that segment:

“The leading [breakfast] sandwich today, after you eat one, you’re still hungry, and after you eat two, you kind of feel bad. So we built the A.M. Crunchwrap to be somewhere in between. It’s got the hash brown, the bacon, the eggs, the sausage, the cheese. And, it’s just a portable breakfast sandwich, that frankly, you can’t get anywhere else. I think that’s going to be the long-term, defining product of our breakfast program.”

Taco Bell is also testing an at-home delivery service, along with fellow Yum (YUM) company KFC, that the company expects will boost sales, particularly to Millennial customers who order from their mobile devices. “It’s actually the number one requested thing we get through social media is Taco Bell delivery,” Niccol said. “If we can deliver Taco Bell, we’ll satisfy a lot of young people in America, that’s for sure.”

(Be sure to tune in this Friday at 3 p.m. Eastern, when Niccol will appear on a new episode of Fortune Live, our weekly business show hosted by Assistant Managing Editor Leigh Gallagher.)
[fortune-brightcove videoid=4257764375001]

About the Author
By Tom Huddleston Jr.
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Retail

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

Latest in Retail

Photo of retailer Wildberries
PoliticsUkraine
Ukraine’s drone strikes on Russia’s Amazon rival’s warehouses hit military supply chain and shake public morale
By The Associated Press and Dasha LitvinovaJuly 24, 2026
9 hours ago
shop
EnergyInflation
Oil at $100 is pushing up costs from gas pumps to grocery aisles
By Cathy Bussewitz, Mae Anderson, Anne D'Innocenzio and The Associated PressJuly 24, 2026
11 hours ago
craig
CommentaryPharmaceutical Industry
Big pharma’s patent cliff meets a new biotech Cold War: We need to outrun China, not outlaw it
By Craig GarthwaiteJuly 24, 2026
12 hours ago
tim
Commentarysmartphones and mobile devices
NYU Stern pricing expert: There’s a hidden ‘AI tax’ hitting Apple, Dell — and your next phone
By Srikanth JagabathulaJuly 24, 2026
12 hours ago
cc
AISocial Media
Coke on its rebrand accidentally nailing Gen Z’s ‘fridge cigarette’ joke: ‘building on on the things people already know and love’
By Tatiana SatauaJuly 23, 2026
1 day ago
cinerama
Arts & EntertainmentHollywood
Hollywood’s iconic Cinerama Dome to reopen under deal with Sony, Alamo Drafthouse
By The Associated PressJuly 22, 2026
2 days ago

Most Popular

Jensen Huang made his $172 billion fortune on AI chips. His family's $75 million gift to Vanderbilt argues art decides what technology is for
Big Tech
Jensen Huang made his $172 billion fortune on AI chips. His family's $75 million gift to Vanderbilt argues art decides what technology is for
By Sydney LakeJuly 23, 2026
2 days ago
'The demographic dividend of the last 40 years is ending': J.P. Morgan says the world is running out of the two things that kept interest rates down
Economy
'The demographic dividend of the last 40 years is ending': J.P. Morgan says the world is running out of the two things that kept interest rates down
By Eleanor PringleJuly 24, 2026
16 hours ago
The $39 trillion U.S. national debt isn’t as high as Japan’s and Singapore’s relative to economy size—and yet it's still worse somehow
Economy
The $39 trillion U.S. national debt isn’t as high as Japan’s and Singapore’s relative to economy size—and yet it's still worse somehow
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 23, 2026
1 day ago
The millennial generation has split, new Fed research shows: Those over 35 are edging toward boomer-style wealth, while everyone else falls behind
Real Estate
The millennial generation has split, new Fed research shows: Those over 35 are edging toward boomer-style wealth, while everyone else falls behind
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 22, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of oil as of July 24, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of July 24, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 24, 2026
14 hours ago
Turns out Dead Internet Theory was right: AI agents are eating the Web, growing by nearly 8,000% and rewiring the Internet's business model
AI
Turns out Dead Internet Theory was right: AI agents are eating the Web, growing by nearly 8,000% and rewiring the Internet's business model
By Mia OsmonbekovJuly 23, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.