Hey Taco Bell - Where's the Beef?

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Yreka

Diamond Member
Jul 6, 2005
4,084
0
76
Taco bell wasnt always so nasty.

I remember when the meat actually looked like hamburger and would even drop grease into the paper wrapper it was served in ( instead of being absorbed by the filler and held i the taco). I had friends that worked at bell and when they dumped the meat into a cooker they only put a few cups of filler/seasonings in the meat before it was cooked.

Taco bell started going downhill like 15 years ago.

I remember this.. They actually used real cheese too and would give you more than 2-3 strands per taco
 

paperfist

Diamond Member
Nov 30, 2000
6,539
287
126
www.the-teh.com
Honestly, fast food is pretty crappy, but Taco Bell is the shittiest of them all.

That's funny cause I always thought they were the best :(

I work at night and unfortunately need to hit the fast food joints from time to time. Why can't there be at least ONE decent place to buy real food at.
 

torpid

Lifer
Sep 14, 2003
11,631
11
76
Not really

1 lb ground beef is about 3 bucks on sale
cheese is a couple bucks
sauce is a couple bucks
Shells about a buck or two

Figure this can make 8 tacos or 6 burritos, not counting the tomatos or beans they also use.

Figure it will take about a half hour to brown the beef and make the tacos

3 + 2 + 2 + 1 + 1/2 hour of labor $20.00 = 28 bucks for 8 tacos

Problems with this "math"

A) As mentioned you shouldn't be factoring in $20 to make the tacos, especially when you aren't factoring in the time to drive to a taco bell, order, pay, drive home, unwrap.

B) If you use soft corn tortillas for tacos you can make hundreds of them for under $5. The cost of them is negligible.

C) Cheese is only a couple of bucks if you buy shredded cheese and even then only if you buy it at a corner store or something. Costco has enormous quantities of shredded cheese that costs way less than $2 per 8 tacos.

D) What sauce are you using exactly and what is the supposed equivalent at TB? Are you talking about their sauce packets? You can likely get a vat of that on the cheap.

My guess is that the real world cost would be close to $4-5 at worst (assuming you don't buy meat from places like Costco) with the "labor" being a wash compared to driving.
 
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SunnyD

Belgian Waffler
Jan 2, 2001
32,675
146
106
www.neftastic.com
yeah i worked at taco bell a long time ago. we used to make the meat up a few times a day. then they switched to a system where you boil the bag of meat and dump it in the container.

though its not bad. but not something i would eat more then maybe twice a month.

One may say the same about female physiology. Of course during those two times a month, it probably tastes about the same as taco bell.
 

Exterous

Super Moderator
Jun 20, 2006
20,594
3,810
126
I'm sorry, any food that will outlast cockroaches even after nuclear holocaust should not, can not, nor ever will be considered "delicious".

Fuctional and delicious?

Of course during those two times a month, it probably tastes about the same as taco bell.

I should be so lucky - If that were the case I would frequent her Taco Bell more often
 

God Mode

Platinum Member
Jul 2, 2005
2,903
0
71
I'd still eat it. So far, taco bell with their pseudo mexican food haven't given me any food poisoning or other discomfort while the local mom and pop taco stores have.
 

waggy

No Lifer
Dec 14, 2000
68,143
10
81
Problems with this "math"

A) As mentioned you shouldn't be factoring in $20 to make the tacos, especially when you aren't factoring in the time to drive to a taco bell, order, pay, drive home, unwrap.

B) If you use soft corn tortillas for tacos you can make hundreds of them for under $5. The cost of them is negligible.

C) Cheese is only a couple of bucks if you buy shredded cheese and even then only if you buy it at a corner store or something. Costco has enormous quantities of shredded cheese that costs way less than $2 per 8 tacos.

D) What sauce are you using exactly and what is the supposed equivalent at TB? Are you talking about their sauce packets? You can likely get a vat of that on the cheap.

My guess is that the real world cost would be close to $4-5 at worst (assuming you don't buy meat from places like Costco) with the "labor" being a wash compared to driving.

actually now that i think of it his math for makeing them is right ok so it cost $20 to make taco's at home. though he did forget some stuff on going to taco bell.

gas to get there: lets assume he has a 10 gallon tank. at $3.14 a gallon he spends $31.40 (since he can't reuse cheese he can't reuse gas. its only fair eh?)

travel time: lets assume he is close to it. so an hour travel to round it out (can't err reuse that time) say he is smart and makes $20 an hour so travel time is $20

cost of taco's $8.88

so 10 taco's cost him $60.28 hmm still cheaper to make it at home.

playing with numbers in a stupid way is fun! i think he was onto something
 

Perknose

Forum Director & Omnipotent Overlord
Forum Director
Oct 9, 1999
46,903
10,738
147
This post is incredibly ignorant.

Then again, after I completely smacked you down in the last Taco Bell thread, you quickly disappeared with your tail between your legs, so I probably don't need to do it again.

Whoa! Deeko has a big 35% beef with OCGuy! :p
 

Modular

Diamond Member
Jul 1, 2005
5,027
67
91
Time to invest in pharmaceuticals and get well cards.

lol

I'll never stop eating TB. The Cheesy Bean and Rice Burrito is amazing. And there's no beef in it...hmmm. I don't even care to know what's in the "cheese sauce" or "beans" they put on that thing either, because I'll still eat it!

:biggrin:
 

rh71

No Lifer
Aug 28, 2001
52,844
1,049
126
whatever it tastes good IMO

exactly. I eat it all the time, for years, and also was recently blood tested. I'm actually still very healthy according to the numbers. I was surprised, but I guess it's because I've been reading too many words from internet critics about fast food.
 

torpid

Lifer
Sep 14, 2003
11,631
11
76
isn't beef mostly water anyway?

and wtf is a wheat oat?



edit: yup, 73% lean is 55% water cooked
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/Water_in_Meats/index.asp

so only 10% of the taco bell stuff is 'filler.' big f'ing deal.

I don't think water has to be listed separately from beef in ingredient lists if it actually is water within the beef, does it? They appear to be adding additional water if I am right. Also, I guess it depends on how the 36% figure was derived. If they accounted for the normal presence of water in beef, then it is a lot different than if they were just counting protein by volume. I agree that they probably didn't, though. Not that it's great meat or anything, but the beef at taco bell actually tastes mostly like beef and not like oats and water (aka oatmeal).
 

SP33Demon

Lifer
Jun 22, 2001
27,928
143
106
lol

I'll never stop eating TB. The Cheesy Bean and Rice Burrito is amazing. And there's no beef in it...hmmm. I don't even care to know what's in the "cheese sauce" or "beans" they put on that thing either, because I'll still eat it!

:biggrin:

Orwell is smiling somewhere.
 

BurnItDwn

Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
26,355
1,867
126
Ehh .. .this doesn't surprise me at all.

That said, I love their mexican pizza's.... but for taco's I'll go to a real taco joint (little hole in the wall Mexican owned independent places rock!)
 

rasczak

Lifer
Jan 29, 2005
10,437
23
81
mmmmm mystery meat. lol, i remember when mystery meat was an option on the lunch menu for elementary school.
 

OCGuy

Lifer
Jul 12, 2000
27,224
37
91
This post is incredibly ignorant.

Then again, after I completely smacked you down in the last Taco Bell thread, you quickly disappeared with your tail between your legs, so I probably don't need to do it again.

So how fat are you exactly?

Actually I bumped that thread with this new information to remind the Taco Bell lovers just how disgusting the "food" actually is.