Price Increases at Taco Bell from 2002 to 2013

The drive-thru photos below are from 2002 and 2013. They are literally a snap shot of the food prices at Taco Bell, and illustrate the price increases in that time period. Please scroll down past the images to read my summary of the changes and an analysis.

Above: Entire Taco Bell Drive Thru Menu from 2002.

Above: Detail from Taco Bell Menu from 2002.

Above: Entire Taco Bell Drive Thru Menu from 2013.

Above: Detail from Taco Bell Menu from 2013.

I apologize for the illegible photos from 2002. Digital cameras have come a long way since then.

Those old menus were pre-Fourthmeal ages. The menu boards in California now usually include calorie counts. About half of the items on this drive thru menu have calorie counts included. Many more items, almost everything but the value menu, is shown with a photograph. The menu now uses black lettering on a white background. Also, the prices went up.

The taco went up 30¢, or 43%.

The bean burrito went up 50¢, a 72% increase.

The Burrito Supreme went up 90¢.

The Chicken Quesadilla went up $1.00.

The Mexican Pizza went up 80¢.

These price increases are larger than I expected. I checked the Consumer Price index for this time frame, and according to their "ALL PRICES" index, I could expect an increase of 28% in prices from between 2002 and 2013 (CPI calculator at the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). None of these items increased by a figure that low. Presumably the annual inflation figure for the Food Away from Home category is higher. Maybe even twice that high over the last 11 years.

Taco Bell's prices have gone up. I didn't capture their drink prices because their drink prices aren't available on these menu boards.

More Drive Thru Menu Price Comparisons:
Introduction | McDonalds | Taco Bell | Carl's Jr. | In 'n Out | Burger King | El Pollo Loco | Wendys