When we think of Taco Bell, we think of Crunchwrap Supremes and the Beefy 5-Layer Burrito, which we consider the best Taco Bell item of all. However, Taco Bell’s original menu featured an entirely different type of fast food. Before it became the Mexican-inspired fast food giant it is today, Taco Bell was like any other fast food joint during the 1960s: trying to make it big by selling hamburgers.
Known as the Bell Beefer, this burger was one of the original five items on Taco Bell’s first menu. It featured ground beef seasoned with taco seasoning, shredded lettuce, diced onions, and a mildly spicy red sauce. The Bell Beefer most closely resembled a sloppy joe in appearance and texture, while its flavor profile drew from the same spices that would eventually differentiate Taco Bell from its competitors down the line.
The burger actually stayed on the menu for several decades, even after Taco Bell started making major shifts toward becoming the chain we know it as today. The Bell Beefer was eventually laid to rest in the ’90s, probably due to poor sales. Today, Taco Bell’s take on a fast food burger is sadly forgotten by many, making it just another one of the secrets most people don’t know about Taco Bell.
The rise and fall of the Bell Beefer
The Bell Beefer appeared on Taco Bell’s menu during the 1960s under a different moniker: the original chili burger. The name change didn’t come about until the early ’70s, first rebranded to the Bellburger then later to the Bell Beefer in 1977, which is what it is remembered as today.
The burger’s creation was possibly inspired by founder Glen Bell’s previous experience in fast food; he previously operated a hamburger and hot dog stand after all. However, in his attempt to make a Mexican-inspired fast food restaurant, the burger needed to match in both taste and branding, hence the use of taco seasoning and making it a chili burger rather than just a traditional hamburger.
The Bell Beefer did manage to keep up with the ever-changing and growing chain for quite some time, consistently seen on menus throughout the ’80s, but by the following decade it was considered obsolete and finally axed from the menu. Chances are, it just no longer aligned with what customers came to expect or desire from Taco Bell. Nostalgia was strong enough to spur Taco Bell to bring the Bell Beefer back briefly to select restaurants in 2012, but since then, the Bell Beefer has been lost to time.
