Chipotle Isn’t Threatened By Taco Bell’s New Upscale Menu

Taco Bell is in the testing phase of its Cantina Menu, an arguably Chipotle-esque menu consisting of burritos, bowls and tacos all with your choice of chicken or steak, and topped with cilantro rice, black beans, corn salsa, romaine lettuce and cilantro dressing. Word on the streets is, Chipotle isn’t threatened at all.

When we first stumbled upon Taco Bell’s new menu back in December of last year, it was branded as Taco Bell Signatures, but new reports have identified the new item collective as The Cantina Menu, an arguably upscale menu that “let the ingredients” be the stars. We’ve tasted the new menu, and it’s good.

Taco Bell maintains that their menu isn’t the type of “Chipotle-competition” we hinted at last year. In fact, chief marketing and innovation officer Brian Niccol told the OC Register that he’s “got no interest in being Chipotle.”

Chris Arnold, on behalf of Chipotle, attempted to sound just as disinterested in Taco Bell’s new menu as their fast-casual counter part was about them:

Chipotle isn’t successful because we serve cilantro-lime rice, black beans and corn salsa. We are successful because we make great tasting food with the best ingredients we can get,” Arnold said. “Not all big burritos are created equally.

Boom. Roast. Doesn’t take a course in Analytical Ridiculousness to catch Arnold’s subtle questioning the future success of Taco Bell’s Cantina Menu.

Either way, the field is set. Is it going to take more than cilantro-lime rice, black beans, corn salsa and some new guacamole to pull off a successful new sub-menu for Taco Bell?

Only time and audience reception will tell. And the earnings calls.