How Taco Bell's Ordering App Turns Extra Onions Into Real Money

Customers ordering Beefy Fritos Burritos, Fiery Doritos Locos Tacos, and other items from Taco Bell can be a highly suggestible bunch—never more so than when they are using the company's five-month-old app. The average digital order is 20 percent higher than traditional orders made with a human cashier, Taco Bell disclosed at a recent investor conference, and a good part of the padded total comes from orders for additional ingredients. The most popular add-ons for the nearly two million people using the app—onions, sour cream, nacho cheese, and creamy jalapeño sauce—cost from $0.30 and $0.70, depending on location.

The app's biggest advantage is that it unlocks the entire menu, says Tressie Lieberman, senior director of digital experience and social engagement at Taco Bell. The app interface displays not only add-ons but lesser-known items and sides that may get lost on crowded restaurant menu boards. The typical Taco Bell menu display doesn't even list many available add-on options, giving rise to a subculture of menu hacking in which clever customers share tips on the best cobbled-together entrees. Taco Bell's new app, by contrast, fuels the well-known consumer tendency for impulse purchases with a last-minute prompt suggesting chips, cheese, or perhaps some Cheesy Fiesta Potatoes during the checkout process.