2 min readTaco Bell launched a “Global Taco Vote,” letting Rewards members choose between two international menu items.
Fans can vote daily in the app from March 26 to April 1, with results revealed April 2.
The winning taco—either Thailand’s Kickin’ Chicken or India’s Butter Chicken—will hit U.S. menus later this year.
Taco Bell is once again letting fans play menu mastermind, but this time it’s going global. Starting March 26 through April 1, Taco Bell Rewards members can vote in the app for which international taco should make its U.S. debut later this year. The options: Thailand’s Kickin’ Chicken Taco or India’s Butter Chicken Taco. Both are already established fan favorites abroad, but neither has ever landed on menus nationwide in the United States.
The premise is simple: Open the Taco Bell app, cast your vote once per day, and wait to see which taco wins. The final result drops on April 2, with the winning item expected to hit menus later this year for a limited run.
This is Taco Bell’s third time doing a fan vote, but it’s easily the most interesting one so far. Instead of bringing back something nostalgic, the brand is testing how far it can push U.S. customers toward globally inspired flavors.
And the two options could not be more different.
The Kickin’ Chicken Taco, originally launched in Thailand, leans into a more classic Taco Bell format. It’s built with crispy chicken strips, lettuce, a three-cheese blend, pico de gallo, and a creamy, spice-forward sauce, all wrapped in a flour tortilla. It reads familiar, just with a little more heat and layering.
The Butter Chicken Taco, on the other hand, is doing something entirely different. Inspired by one of India’s most popular dishes, it features shredded chicken in a tomato cream-based butter chicken sauce, topped with onion, cilantro, lettuce, and cheddar cheese, all inside a fried chalupa shell. It’s richer, saucier, and definitely the more unexpected option of the two.
Taco Bell says both items were designed specifically for their respective markets. The Kickin’ Chicken Taco helped define the brand’s entry into Thailand back in 2019, while the Butter Chicken Taco launched in India in 2023 as part of a push to highlight local flavors through Taco Bell’s format.
Now, the brand is handing that decision over to U.S. fans.
Fan voting has become a reliable engagement play for Taco Bell, with past campaigns bringing back items like the Double Decker Taco and Beefy Crunch Burrito. But this time, it’s less about nostalgia and more about curiosity.
Do people want something familiar with a twist, or are they actually ready to try something new? Either way, Taco Bell is letting the fans decide. And I know which one I’ll be voting for.