A man put Taco Bell on (Baja) blast by sharing a better way to order the chips and cheese without dropping $3—order them separately.
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A Taco Bell secret
“All right, listen up. I got something to say to my Taco Bell people out there,” TikTok user Jesse (@jessebrokebad) starts the video. “My chips and cheese people gather around. In the City of Los Angeles, chips and cheese is $3.”
The price of chips and cheese, of course, varies by location. Then, he spills the beans about budget-friendly ways to get chips and cheese.
“Did y’all know that if you go to Taco Bell and you order a side of chips, it’s 90 cents? Did y’all also know that if you go to Taco Bell and order a side of cheese, it’s $1.25?” he asks.
He then adds, “Did y’all also know that if you order a side of chips and a side of cheese, it’s $2.15?”
Since finding out that ordering chips and cheese as individual sides is cheaper, the content creator feels betrayed.
“I have been loyal for a long time!” he says, gritting his teeth. “I am fire status!”
To earn this highest reward tier, you have to reach 2,000 points. You earn 11 points per dollar spent.
“When you go to Taco Bell, you order your side of chips and you order your side of cheese, get you an extra side of chips, a taco, whatever you want to get, save a buck,” he urges. “Don’t order that chips and cheese no more!”
“I got you now, Taco Bell,” he says. “I’m blowing the whistle. Everybody, stand with me. We need to unite and we need to fight back.”
The content creator calls out the fast-food joint further in the caption, writing, “@tacobell THE JIGS UP!”
Viewers express their frustration
His video has over 5,000 views.
“[It] used to be a dollar,” one viewer wrote.
“Even $2.15 is a crime,” a second remarked.
“I can’t. You’ve ruined my day,” a third stated.
Others found alternative ways to get more bang for their buck.
“You HAVE to get the boxes!!!!!!! I think it’s the luxe box that has a chalupa, Taco, chips cheese, and a drink for $7. [Expletitive] the chalupa is $5 itself!” one user recommended.
“That’s why I just get the $7 box. It’s $23 worth of food for 7 bucks,” another concurred.
@jessebrokebad @tacobell THE JIGS UP! #tacobell #chipsandcheese #whistleblowing #fightback ♬ original sound – JesseBrokeBad
Is it cheaper to order the chips and cheese separately?
In 2023, Taco Bell worker Caleb shared this same hack. He said at the time, “If you ring up the chips and cheese, it’s going to cost you 2.29. But if you ring up a side of chips and a side of cheese, it’s way cheaper.”
Taco Bell chips and cheese lovers who want to save money should order the items individually. Or if you want more food, you should order the Supreme Luxe Box or Cantina Meal, which also come with the chips and cheese.
Jesse told the Daily Dot that he stumbled on the hack through a “bi-weekly visit” to Taco Bell.
“I ordered my usual which always has included the Chips & Cheese. But I was feeling extra cheesy and ordered a side of cheese for $1.25 and when I got the window I decided to add on another side of chips & they charged me 90 cents. I didn’t think anything of it until I looked at the bill later. It was at THAT moment I realized everything I ever thought and knew was a LIE,” he said.
Jesse said that while he doesn’t post much to TikTok, he felt compelled to share his newfound knowledge with the masses.
“I thought if I could help just even one person it’d be worth it. But the outreach so far shows that Taco Bell has dedicated clientele, fan base and camaraderie behind it that no other fast food restaurant can really compete with,” he says.
He called the 85-cent price difference “unjust.”
“Especially in this economy. It’s been right in front of our faces all along but we just didn’t see it,” he said. “I’ve ordered one with EVERY meal for almost 15 years strong. Almost a dollar every time. I thought if I didn’t know, how many others are out there? I took a chance. I wanted to give back. Because in this community, ‘I ain’t got friends, I got Family.’”
The Daily Dot reached out to Taco Bell via press email.
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