You've Been Warned: Taco Bell Managers 'Will Be Rude' Over This Nacho Fries Hack

Attempting a menu hack at a major fast food franchise can be a tricky endeavor. If you do your research and the hack in question has already been tried and verified, you likely won't encounter any problems (check out our ultimate guide to ordering secret menu items like a pro for the full scoop). But if the menu hack has minimal sources, faces contradictory claims, or may cause a negative response from the restaurant in question, the whole business becomes significantly riskier. Such is the case with a recent claim on TikTok that Taco Bell customers can walk away with a whole tub of seasoning for the food chain's popular Nacho Fries — which has spurred warnings that this hack will provoke a rude reception from Taco Bell managers. 

A content creator, who posts numerous Taco Bell menu hacks on TikTok, informed her followers in one video that it was possible to get a whole container of Nacho Fries seasoning from Taco Bell if you request it. In the video, the creator can be seen dipping the fries in Taco Bell's ranch dressing (which, in our opinion, is much underrated), then re-dipping them in the deep-red seasoning. "Y'all have to run to Taco Bell and try this ASAP," she enthused in the video. 

However, the post attracted multiple comments either contradicting the creator's claim or saying it would elicit a poor response from Taco Bell staff. "Catch me in a good mood and I will! (I'm never in a good mood," replied one commenter. Another wrote, "We are not allowed to do that. We would be terminated," while a responder identifying as a manager at Taco Bell said, "They will not do this ... I will be rude about it."

Rather than risk the ire of diligent Taco Bell employees, it may be safer to recreate Taco Bell's Nacho Fries seasoning in your own kitchen. According to Taco Bell's website, ingredients include garlic, paprika, onion, salt, sugar, vinegar, and cayenne. However, a quick internet search will yield numerous copycat recipes, either for the seasoning on its own or for the Nacho Fries. These obviously vary, but some of these recipes also call for cumin, cornstarch, black pepper, dried oregano, ground coriander, cheddar cheese powder, and lemon pepper seasoning. 

Trying to perfect this nacho fry seasoning will depend on whether you want to achieve authenticity or adjust it to your own palate. Among Redditors who have tried some of these copycat recipes, cheddar cheese powder is a particular point of contention, since Taco Bell doesn't list it as an ingredient — making the fries (sans cheese sauce) a vegan option. Some online versions even recommend adding a couple of teaspoons of mushroom soup base powder. 

If you aren't sure which hack to follow, one Redditor had some unusual advice — simply blend Sun Chips Garden Salsa chips that have a strikingly similar flavor to the seasoning. "It'll be a bit different because you're also getting the Sun Chips in there and not just the seasoning powder, but it's close enough that it might be worth a try," the Redditor noted. With all this in mind, you may need to experiment a little before you find something that scratches that particular Nacho Fries itch, but in the process, you may discover a seasoning blend you like even better — and you'll have done so without earning a stink-eye from the Taco Bell manager.