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Every big fast food chain faces rumors about poor-quality food or bizarre ingredients, whether true or not. Some have claimed there were worms in McDonald’s hamburgers, that Subway’s tuna contained no fish, and that KFC used mutant chickens with multiple wings. None was true, of course, but they all circulated widely. So it’s not uncommon to find stories online where people warn others to avoid certain fast-food items or ingredients. But sometimes they’re not just rumors. In some cases, it’s actual employees raising concerns about food quality, which appears to be true of Taco Bell’s steak.
Numerous Reddit threads discuss Taco Bell’s menu, and many feature employees, including some claiming to be managers, who warn readers to avoid the steak. In an Ask Me Anything-type thread, one manager said they’d never order steak — even at their own restaurant — and that their employees refer to the meat as “deer ankles.”
In another thread, a diner posted a photo of a steak quesadilla that looked decidedly unappetizing. They asked if Taco Bell had changed its steak, since the texture didn’t even resemble the meat anymore. The user complained that it was extremely salty and had a consistency more like roast beef. This wasn’t the only such post, either. We’ve all had fast food that looked worse in person than it does in ads, but sometimes the steak at Taco Bell looks even worse than you’d expect.
The downside of Taco Bell steak
In the thread about steak potentially being roast beef, a manager explained that the salt becomes concentrated and the texture deteriorates when the steak sits for hours, or even overnight. Another user noted that steak appears in so few menu items that it rarely sells. That means, when you order it, there’s a good chance it’s been sitting around for a while. More than one person used the term “carry over” and described it as steak that was at least a day old, which management made them keep until it sold.
According to someone claiming to be a manager, the steak at Taco Bell could be inconsistent because of several factors. Since so few people order it, and restaurants are trying to cut costs, they may keep it on the line even when it’s past its prime. It depends on the employees, the time of day, and how busy the location is. If you get in and place an order just after the steak is cooked, it may be great. But if it’s late at night and the steak hasn’t sold all day, you might end up with meat that’s hours old — or more.
A viral TikTok in 2022 claimed that Taco Bell’s steak was mostly gelatin, an accusation which the company went out of its way to deny, insisting it only uses quality steak in its restaurants. The fact remains, however, that many diners and employees express dissatisfaction with the product. In our experience, Taco Bell steak isn’t the best, so buyer beware.
Dining and Cooking