Taco Bell Kiosks Add 'Veggie Mode' to Highlight Vegetarian Menu Options

Taco Bell has been admittedly slow to the fake meat punch—something CEO Mark King recently admitted he plans to change as the brand began weighing its big-name plant-based meat options. But at the same time, the company has remained outspoken about the abundance of its existing vegetarian choices, wearing its title as "the only American Vegetarian Association-certified" fast food chain as a badge of honor and teasing out a dedicated vegetarian section of its menu this past September. Now, if you're ordering on a digital kiosk, finding those veggie options is about to get easier than ever… Meet "Veggie Mode."

Beginning March 12, customers will be able to use a single swipe to activate the new Veggie Mode feature on self-service ordering kiosks in-store nationwide, instantly filtering the menu down to only vegetarian items. Taco Bell explains that these options obviously include their nearly 50 items that are certified by the American Vegetarian Association, but "customers can further customize their orders while in Veggie Mode, with a total of over 20 million possible vegetarian menu combinations."

"We've been doing vegetarian for a long time, but that is not enough for us. People should be given more options than one plant-based choice," Missy Schaaphok, Taco Bell's global nutrition and sustainability manager, said in the announcement, clearly taking a swipe at chains who have jumped on the plant-based bandwagon by adding hip choices like the Beyond or Impossible burgers but little else. "At Taco Bell, celebrating vegetarian is more than just a trend; it is something we do every day of the week. With Veggie Mode, we are proud to make it even easier to order plant-based options that vegetarians and non-vegetarians can agree are delicious."

Meanwhile, in a blog post on "How to Eat Vegetarian at Taco Bell," the chain also reminds customers that, though Veggie Mode might be exclusive to the in-store kiosks, "our menu items can still be modified to be vegetarian online at Ta.co or through the Taco Bell mobile app with our 'Make it Vegetarian' button ." Basically, Taco Bell wants you to know that the only way ordering vegetarian could be easier is if it went meat-free altogether.