6 Taco Bell Items Employees Refuse To Order For Themselves

If you're a fan of Taco Bell, you've probably got your favorite order down by heart. No need to scan the menu — for some, it's all about the Cheesy Gordita Crunch, for example, while for others, it's the bean burrito every single time. But if you decide to be adventurous one day, it's worth knowing what not to order. The best people to learn from, of course, are those in the know: Taco Bell employees. That's why we scanned Reddit to find out what menu items workers refuse to order for themselves. 

Some of the results surprised us (it turns out, trying to level up the nutrition in your order might backfire, depending on what ingredient you choose), while others were a little less shocking (one particular meat, for example, has a reputation for being pretty bad). Keep reading to find out more about which options have Taco Bell employees running for the hills. On the plus side, it might save you a little bit of money on your next visit.

Taco Bell's chili cheese burrito first hit the menu back in 1990 (only back then it had an arguably much cooler name: Chilito). It disappeared from most stores in the mid '90s, but it was on and off the menu in various franchises over the following two decades. That is, until 2025, when Taco Bell decided to bring it back as part of its old-school menu revival. But while many were thrilled by the news (our reviewer compared the menu item to a "warm hug"), others probably weren't that excited.

According to some Taco Bell employees, the chili cheese burrito is the one menu item that they wouldn't recommend ordering. But what could possibly be wrong with a burrito that tastes like a comforting embrace? Well, it turns out, in some locations, this burrito isn't that popular, which means that the chili is left sitting out all day.

"Nobody orders it, and when they do the chili is usually from the morning because stores usually only make one batch per day," wrote one Taco Bell employee in the r/tacobell subreddit. "So you're most likely going to get old chili [that's] not stirred or just an inconsistent burrito." They added that some stores don't make it properly, and instead smother nacho cheese and beef in red sauce. "[It's] just overall a bad item that needs to be taken off the menu," they declared. Some agreed with them, noting that the burrito is too expensive considering how simple it is.

Taco Bell is known for variety. Whether you're craving chicken, cheese, or something plant-based, it can cater to you with its extensive menu of tacos, burritos, quesadillas, Crunchwraps, and more. But one ingredient you should absolutely skip, according to employees, is the steak.

In fact, according to one worker on Reddit, the entire crew at their location refers to the steak as "deer ankles." It might sound like a strange comparison, but customers, too, agree that the steak is pretty grim. One customer even claimed it had the "texture of a thick pile rug" in the r/tacobell subreddit. According to one Taco Bell manager, part of the issue is that, like the chili, the steak often sits for a long time, because it's not in that many menu items. "When they carry it over from the previous night, it sits and marinates in the juice from the previous day and gains a soft texture and horrible salty taste," they explained in the r/tacobell subreddit. Alternatively, it could be that it's just going out of date, they noted.

We can't say we're all that surprised that Taco Bell workers don't rate the steak. When our taste tester ranked Taco Bell's breakfast items from worst to best, they placed the steak breakfast quesadilla last. They said that the meat was underseasoned and "way too rubbery to be palatable."

In Mexico, chalupas are usually boat-shaped and made with deep-fried masa dough, but in Tex-Mex cuisine, they're more like a taco — although the shell is still supposed to be nice and fluffy on the inside, with a crispy outside. We say "supposed to be" because this isn't the case every time, unfortunately. According to some Taco Bell workers, the chain's chalupas aren't worth ordering, mainly because you never know what you're going to get.

If the person making them is, ahem, a little lazy, they might not spend enough time preparing them, which results in a pretty disappointing chalupa experience. "I don't know why, but my general manager does not give [a] f*ck," wrote one Taco Bell employee in the r/tacobell subreddit. "He will give you [two] of the hardest chalupas you'll ever bite into just to save a minute of frying."

Others agreed that the Taco Bell chalupas are not consistently good, and that they would only order them if they could guarantee they'd be prepared correctly. "After working at Taco Bell, I learned to rarely ever get chalupas," wrote a Reddit user. They added: "If I was inside and saw them put fresh ones up, I might get them, but that's about it." Again, our taste tester didn't rate the chalupas either. In a ranking of every Taco Bell taco, they placed the Black Bean Chalupa Supreme second-to-last, noting that it was "puffed-up and greasy deep-fried dough that sits heavy in your stomach."

Often, refried beans are one of those dishes that tastes better in a restaurant than at home. Sure, cans are a good alternative, but restaurant refried beans just have that creamy texture and signature flavorful tang. Well, unless you're at Taco Bell, say some workers. In fact, in one Reddit thread asking Taco Bell employees what not to order, several referred to the chain's refried beans as "gross."

Many say it's the way they're made that makes them particularly undesirable. "They come out of the bag in a powdery form," explained one worker in the r/AskReddit subreddit. "Add hot water and stir until the foam goes away. Then [sit] in a heating cabinet until needed."

It's true, in one TikTok video, a worker filmed the process, which started with dried beans that looked almost like pellets being covered in water and then stirred continuously until they reached the right texture. Like workers, many customers were put off when they learned the truth. One commented, "And that's why I get diarrhea every time I eat Taco Bell." Another added: "That ain't beans man that's rabbit food."

Tempted by a side order of refried beans, red sauce, and three cheeses? Don't be, say some employees. Again, the Pintos N Cheese is one menu item that many Taco Bell workers say they wouldn't touch with a 10-foot pole, and it comes back to the way those refried beans are made. One employee even referred to the ingredient as "like dog food," in the r/tacobell subreddit. "[If] you saw the way the beans look before they were made, and the making process, as well as what it smells like. You would possibly change your mind [about ordering it]," they explained.

That said, it seems that most customers agree that the Pintos N Cheese isn't worth ordering, as many Taco Bell workers say they rarely get a request for it. Another said in the r/tacobell subreddit: "Don't get pintos and cheese. There's a reason why almost no one orders it." On TikTok, one worker also claimed that they go entire weeks without anyone asking for Pintos N Cheese.

If you want to add a little extra nutrition to your Taco Bell order, you might consider requesting, say, some extra black beans. They are rich in fiber, protein, and essential vitamins and minerals, after all. But, you guessed it: Many workers say you should think again before you start asking your Taco Bell server to start dishing out the black beans. 

It's not that the beans are particularly bad in themselves, but more that they will likely have been sitting around a long time. "Never order anything with black beans because chances are they've been sitting in a pan since we opened," wrote one Taco Bell employee in the r/AskReddit subreddit.

Others agree that the black beans don't get the attention from workers that they deserve, and are often just left to sit out all day. "I wouldn't eat the black beans," noted another Reddit user in the r/tacobell subreddit. "Those, for some reason, people seem to hate dropping and replacing as often as they should. They get forgotten back there."