I was at a museum recently and noticed that they had some fast food offerings. I didn’t think much of it until I noticed the Taco Bell Express. I simply don’t understand the marketing genius behind that one.
Who is the target audience for Taco Bell Express? Are they really looking for the fast food customer who is unhappy with the 30-60 second delays commonly experienced at your regular Taco Bell? Are there really people out there saying, “Mmmm…Taco Bell…If only I had the time…” For you: Taco Bell Express!
Perhaps it’s about reputation. Maybe the food at the Taco Bell Express is so bad doesn’t meet the standards of the more upscale “Taco Bell”. They can’t afford to confuse their loyal customers. “Don’t worry”, they can say, “if the taco prepared in 8 seconds doesn’t taste quite right to you, you can always go around the corner and wait for it at non-express Taco Bell”.
Apparently Taco Bell is not the only one branching out with their Express branding. I stumbled across this Wiki for the city of Davis, California which discusses their local Pizza Hut Express. I can understand wanting to get your pizza in faster than 30 minutes, but apparently Express pizza comes with it’s own set of problems:
If you like greasy Pizza-esque substances, but hate human-interaction, this is the place for you. Pizzas come out of the wall and you purchase them. Wow technology. Unfortunately, their pizzas are mediocre and horribly over priced.
I think I’ll stick with the non-express Fast Food whenever possible.