This Basic Taco Bell Item Isn't Worth The High Price Today

The Taco Bell menu is always a wild place. Perhaps more than any other fast food chain, Taco Bell has focused on creating viral menu items and other innovative ideas to bring in customers. But that is only half of the chain's genius. The other half is its commitment to keeping a meal really, really cheap. Fast food prices are rising steeply across the board, but somehow Taco Bell has managed to keep slinging giant 3-item, 1500-calorie meal boxes for less than $7. A deeper look at the menu, however, shows that some items have slowly crept into overpriced territory, and perhaps none more so than the Soft Taco Supreme.

That's right, nowadays the Soft Taco Supreme falls squarely on the list of overpriced fast food items to avoid. Prices, in general, have gone up at Taco Bell quite a bit in the past few decades, but the current price for the Soft Taco Supreme stands out as a bit ridiculous. A standard soft taco from the chain features a flour tortilla stuffed with seasoned ground beef, lettuce, and shredded cheese, and goes for around $1.89 these days. When you upgrade to the "supreme" version, that price jumps up to about $2.99, and the only additions are a few diced tomatoes and a squeeze of sour cream. In other words, you are paying $1.10 (an extra 58%) for those meager additions. It simply is not worth it.

If your standard go-tos are similar to Dolly Parton's 3-item Taco Bell order, this could be troubling — she's a fan of the Soft Taco Supreme, as well as a few other classics. But there are always new Taco Bell ordering hacks that can help you to stretch your money at the fast food chain. In general, the best move is to order online. Not only are there always online deals and rewards for ordering through the app, but this also allows you to shop around for the best-priced items. It is much easier to scope out the cheapest and most expensive items while perusing the menu on your phone.

When you pull up to the drive-thru or step up to the counter, the time pressure of a line of hungry customers waiting behind you can lead to a tragic mistake, like panic-ordering a Soft Taco Supreme and way overpaying for those tomatoes and sour cream. Times have changed for all of our favorite fast food chains, and there is no arguing that the Taco Bell value menu just isn't as cheap as it was in the '90s (back when the Soft Taco Supreme was only $0.79). That said, if you're a bit savvy with your ordering and avoid the overpriced outliers, it is still one of the best places around to find a cheap meal.