Mcdonald’s vs Taco Bell – What makes each unique?

There was a time when McDonald’s dominated the fast-food industry, but with the entry of other high-end fast-food chains like Taco Bell, it faces competition. While some people are still loyal to McDonald’s, others are more inclined to the menu items at chipotle and the various options available.

Although McDonald’s and chipotle are both fast-food chains, they each offer different items on their menu. Mcdonalds mostly focuses on selling burgers, fries, and soft drinks, while Taco Bell offers Mexican-based foods and other delicious snacks and soft drinks. You also have the freedom to decide the fillings and side dishes that go with your taco, burrito, bowl, and nachos which isn’t the case with McDonald’s. Taco Bell also uses fresh ingredients and this is more appealing to the millennials.

Mcdonalds

Mcdonalds is an international fast-food chain that has some of the most famous menu items like the juicy and delicious Big Mac and their crispy, crunchy French fries. Mcdonald’s was started in 1940 by brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald in San Bernardino, California. This restaurant chain is one of the world’s largest fast-food chains with over 69 million customers a day in over 100 countries across more than 37,000 outlets. McDonald’s is best known for its French fries, cheeseburgers, and hamburgers and also breakfast items, desserts, soft drinks, and milkshakes.

Most menu items from McDonald’s and other fast-food joints contain a lot of fat, sodium, and sugar that can have serious health complications if consumed regularly. So as people started becoming conscious of what they eat and make better choices to eat healthier, McDonald’s changed their menu to include healthier foods in their menus like salads, fruits, smoothies, and fish. They have a very simple menu that doesn’t have a wide variety of items to choose from and this makes you feel a bit restricted on your choice.

Taco Bell

This is an American-based fast-food chain founded in 1962 by Glen Bell in Downey, California. This restaurant serves a variety of Mexican-based foods including tacos, burritos, nachos, and quesadillas. Taco Bell serves more than a million burritos and over 2 million tacos every year and is considered to be one of the healthiest fast-food chains. It has over 7,000 outlets that serve over 40 million customers every week in the U.S and over 500 outlets in almost 30 countries. It has developed a diverse menu apart from its usual tacos with food items like cinnamon twist and their famous crunch wrap supremes that have become a staple at Taco Bell.

They also sell nacho fries with a yummy cheesy dipping sauce and their scrumptious Doritos locos tacos.  Their burritos and tacos are super delicious but they can pack up a whole lot of calories, fat, sodium, and sugars that aren’t very healthy. Because of this, Taco Bell has tried to sell healthier foods by allowing their health-conscious customers. This helps to cater to vegetarian and vegan diets and even reduce the size of your burrito if you don’t want to eat much. Taco Bell is a bit less expensive than McDonald’s which makes it more appealing to college students and Millenials who are on a budget but still want to eat quality fast food.

Differences between McDonald’s and Taco Bell

 
Mcdonalds
Taco Bell
Establishment
1940 by Richard and Maurice McDonald
1962 by Glen Bell in Downey, California
Menu items
Burgers, fries, breakfast items, desserts, soft drinks, and milkshakes
Burritos, nachos, tacos, quasedillas
Cost
Expensive
Cheap
Quality
Consistent quality
It Varies depending on the amount of care and precision applied
Creativity
Not very creative
Very creative

 

Established

Mcdonalds and Taco Bell are famous fast-food chain restaurants that have their presence in many countries. However, McDonald’s can on the scene much earlier than Taco Bell. Mcdonald’s was started in 1940 by two brothers from San Bernardino, California, Richard, and Maurice Mcdonald, while Taco Bell came into the scene much later in 1962 founded by Glen Bell in Downey, California.Mcdonalds is a world-famous restaurant that has its outlets in over 100 countries while Taco Bell has its presence in over 30 countries.

Menu items

Mcdonald’s and taco bell are both American-based restaurants and among the most famous fast-food chains. However, their menu items are very different. Mcdonald’s is famous for its hamburgers, cheeseburgers, and cheese fries. They also offer breakfast items, desserts, soft drinks, and milkshakes. On the other hand, Taco Bell has a Mexican-based menu that mostly contains burritos, tacos, quesadillas, and nachos. They also offer other specialty items and they allow you to customize your order. Taco Bell is more health-conscious so it uses fresh ingredients in its foods but if you’re not careful their toppings and side dishes can rack up a lot of calories.

Prices

The prices at both restaurants are very different. While some of the food items in the McDonald’s menu are pricy than others, some don’t make sense for example a triple cheeseburger costs $3 while sausage McMuffin costs the same amount. When it comes to the prices at Taco Bell things are different since all the food items are a dollar, but you’ll get a balanced portion of meat, cheese, and lettuce

Quality,

Mcdonalds has some high-quality items on their menu like the bacon McDouble and the buttermilk chicken tenders. The quality of their foods rarely changes so you’ll always know what you’re getting with every order. However, with Taco Bell the food quality will vary depending on how you construct your order and the amount of care and precision put into it. Taco Bell offers a lot of items for very little, but the quality will vary greatly.

Creativity

Mcdonald’s has a limited menu that focuses mainly on burgers and fries which is compact and only covers the basics with only one or two breakfast items and a chicken burger. There’s not much on the menu when it comes to variety, but Taco Bell has a wide selection of items in its menu from its toppings to its side dishes. You have a wide selection to choose from when customizing your order. Taco Bell is fairly creative and can do a lot with just meat, cheese, and tortillas.

Conclusion

Both fast-food chains offer decent foods at competitive prices, but at the end of the day, it will depend on what you’re craving for, a burger or tacos regardless of the cost. When you make an order at MacDonald’s you know exactly what you’ll get so there are no surprises. You can always depend on their consistency even if they’re expensive. And if you’re more health-conscious, McDonald’s isn’t the best option for you. However, Taco Bell has a more health-friendly menu and it’s not as expensive so you get quality and quantity. There’s also diversity in their menu so you have a wide selection to choose from.

FAQ

Does Taco Bell use real meat?

Taco Bell uses actual beef, the same quality beef that is used in ground beef. It has been USDA inspected and is premium real beef.

Can you lose weight eating Taco Bell?

Taco Bell has introduced a fresco menu that contains ingredients that are low in calories and also vegetarian and vegan options.