Remember the good ol’ days when you used to hide in a Taco Bell booth, seeking solace with a comfort meal from the chaos of everyday life? Anyone who was a teen in the 90s probably shares a lot of good memories with Taco Bell’s booths. Back then, Pop Art and Art Deco were all hype, and Taco Bell restaurants’ interiors vividly reflected those movements. If you, like us, miss the pink and blue interiors and the wild fascination with Mexican burritos, let’s take a trip down memory lane and explore the 90s Taco Bell.
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What Was So Iconic About the 90s Taco Bell?
There were plenty of fast-food restaurant chains in the US in the 90s. So, what was so iconic about Taco Bell? Was it the solo cup that was so simple yet so iconic? Or the blue and pink striped booths that used to swallow your sorrows?
Let’s see!
90s Taco Bell Interior Design
Interior design in the 90s revolved around two main factors: sharp geometric lines and clashing colors. The interiors of Taco Bell reflected the preferences of that era perfectly well.
Instead of the sleek, modern lines and the minimalistic white logo you see nowadays, the restaurant floor used to feature strong pops of colour throughout with a combination of blue, purple, pink and green iconography found throughout.
Check out some of our throwback pictures of 90s taco bell interior below:
Seating Area in 90s Taco Bell
Aside from the restaurant floor, the 90s Taco Bell seating area was amazing too! They used to have white benches for bigger groups and a healthy mix of two person seats, sometimes with a table of its own and other times with a little ledge to eat your food off of.
Everything about the 90s Taco Bell was geometric and sharp, even the chunky lighting bolt alongside the circle that used to serve as focal points for the overall design.
Generally, the restaurants were entirely vibrant, and the two main colors employed were pink and blue, though some branches had orange as well. There were countless places to rock out to our 90s one hit wonders or even leave behind some cheeky 90s grunge stickers.
90s Taco Bell Cups
The 90s Taco Bell cup is as iconic as the Mexican Pizza on the restaurant’s menu. It’s actually so iconic that everyone wanted to know who designed it, and its pattern was employed in plenty of other products later on, including T-shirts.
The cups weren’t iconic because they had an extraordinary design. In fact, they’re pretty simple, featuring the two official colors of that era: indigo and teal—along with a touch of purple for contrast purposes.
However, they’re mostly adored because they’re associated with a bunch of good memories for the 90s teens. The cup was used in a lot of places along with Taco Bell, and its pattern became an icon of the 90s culture
The Ordering Experiece of 90s Taco Bell
Depending on whether you were driving through (see picture on the right) or dining in (the picture on the left), the 90s Taco Bell ordering experience was efficient with a target goal of three and a half minutes from order to food in-hand. That’s some real fast food right there!
Enough about the experience though, what could you actually eat in 90s Taco Bell??
What Did Taco Bell Serve in the 90s?
Chilli Cheese Burrito & Chilli Taco
Taco Bell kicked off the 90s by debuting the Chili Cheese Burrito in 1990. Although the burrito wasn’t anything special compared to the current menu’s items, fans loved it because it was affordable and tasty.
Unfortunately, the Chili taco didn’t last for long. Taco Bell decided to discontinue it only a few years later, but a lot of fans objected to it. It’s said that some branches kept serving it despite the discontinuation.
The Gordita
The gordita may be one of the most iconic items on Taco Bell’s menu since it debuted. It was supposed to be an imitation of the authentic gordita made in Mexico, and it came in three different flavors.
The gordita was the most popular item on the menu since 1998 and until the early 2000s, and some flavors are still sold to this day.
90s Taco Bell Free Tacos
Although not a lot of people would remember this, Taco Bell used to hand out free tacos over coin catcher games in the 90s. According to the customers who used to go regularly, you’d get a cinnamon twist for free if you got a nickel.
Meanwhile, getting a dime would mean you get a free taco, and a quarter would grant you a burrito win. There was a 1-win-per-customer rule to keep the free tacos within a limit.
Final thoughts on 90s Taco Bell
What do you miss more? The geometric pink and blue stripes that covered the restaurant’s decor or the iconic gordita?
The 90s Taco Bell is hard not to miss, especially considering that nothing of the old aesthetic lasted. Now, restaurants are all about sharp lines and sleek, modern decor. However, the menu remains as tasty as ever, so maybe the change was for the better.
If you enjoyed this look back at 90s Taco Bell, you’ll also love our articles on 90s Cookouts and Discontinued 90s Crisps
