Chad
Slender Hobbit
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Taco Bell is taking breakfast to new sugary heights with its introduction of Mtn Dew AM -- a mix of Mountain Dew soda and Tropicana orange juice.
The fast-food chain has been testing the drink -- nicknamed the "Dewdriver" -- for months as part of its FirstMeal breakfast offering. Apparently, people are just fine with getting their soda on in the early hours, because Taco Bell has given the drink a permanent place on the breakfast menu.
Breakfast at Taco Bell is still in a trial of sorts, available at 800 restaurants in 14 states, The Associated Press reports. Yum Brands (YUM +0.39%), which owns Taco Bell as well as KFC and Pizza Hut restaurants, may take breakfast national by 2014 if the trial works.
Expanding a breakfast menu has been a top priority for fast-food chains trying to cut into McDonald's (MCD +0.86%) McMuffin-powered morning dominance. It's not as easy as it sounds. Wendy's (WEN -0.70%) is having a tough time establishing itself as a breakfast destination, testing out menu items for a full six years -- without the best results.
"We've made significant progress operationally, yet our breakfast economic model is not producing the results we need across a full spectrum of restaurants," Wendy's CEO Emil Brolick told analysts earlier this month.
The morning meal is a very strong performing part of the fast-food business, Brolick added. "We want our share of this business, but we want it to be a profitable share for our system."
How can Taco Bell succeed in the morning where Wendy's hasn't? Through strong advertising and gimmicks that stick -- gimmicks like the "Dewdriver." The drink, by the way, is not for the calorie conscious. A 12-ounce can of Mountain Dew contains 47 grams of sugar -- about 11 teaspoons of added sugar, KFSN reports. An 8-ounce serving of Tropicana Orange juice contains 22 grams of natural sugars.
What do you think about Taco Bell's breakfast soda? Disgusting or a morning triumph?
Taco Bell is taking breakfast to new sugary heights with its introduction of Mtn Dew AM -- a mix of Mountain Dew soda and Tropicana orange juice.
The fast-food chain has been testing the drink -- nicknamed the "Dewdriver" -- for months as part of its FirstMeal breakfast offering. Apparently, people are just fine with getting their soda on in the early hours, because Taco Bell has given the drink a permanent place on the breakfast menu.
Breakfast at Taco Bell is still in a trial of sorts, available at 800 restaurants in 14 states, The Associated Press reports. Yum Brands (YUM +0.39%), which owns Taco Bell as well as KFC and Pizza Hut restaurants, may take breakfast national by 2014 if the trial works.
Expanding a breakfast menu has been a top priority for fast-food chains trying to cut into McDonald's (MCD +0.86%) McMuffin-powered morning dominance. It's not as easy as it sounds. Wendy's (WEN -0.70%) is having a tough time establishing itself as a breakfast destination, testing out menu items for a full six years -- without the best results.
"We've made significant progress operationally, yet our breakfast economic model is not producing the results we need across a full spectrum of restaurants," Wendy's CEO Emil Brolick told analysts earlier this month.
The morning meal is a very strong performing part of the fast-food business, Brolick added. "We want our share of this business, but we want it to be a profitable share for our system."
How can Taco Bell succeed in the morning where Wendy's hasn't? Through strong advertising and gimmicks that stick -- gimmicks like the "Dewdriver." The drink, by the way, is not for the calorie conscious. A 12-ounce can of Mountain Dew contains 47 grams of sugar -- about 11 teaspoons of added sugar, KFSN reports. An 8-ounce serving of Tropicana Orange juice contains 22 grams of natural sugars.
What do you think about Taco Bell's breakfast soda? Disgusting or a morning triumph?
