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McDonald's, Taco Bell celebrate the 'power of 3' in new LTOs

McDonald's and Taco Bell each kick off LTOs focused on tripling the sizes of two favorite menu items.

The "little," "Big" and "Double Big" Macs of McDonald's triple-centered LTO (photo provided).

March 10, 2020

There may be something funky in the water that culinary leaders at both McDonald's and Taco Bell are drinking, since each brand today announced LTOs that focus on tripling the sizes of some of each brand's favorite menu items. At McDonald's, the Big Mac is the object of triple-sizing with the brand's limited-time offers featuring various sizes of the popular sandwich, from a new Little Mac with one beef patty, all the way up to the appetite-slaying Double Big Mac with a tower of four beef patties, a news release said. And of course, the classic Big Mac sits squarely in the center of those two as a permanent menu item with two beef patties. 

Meanwhile, over at Mexican-American cuisine QSR Taco Bell, the brand is putting its customer favorite, the Chalupa, at the center of its LTO starting Thursday, the Triplelupa, that Taco Bell said in a news release doubles the beef in the regular Chalupa and features the brand's longest "tear-apart" menu item.

Taco Bell said the Triplelupa features three mini Chalupas in a trio of flavors wrapped up in Taco Bell's longest shell ever created. The Triplelupa's mini Chalupas include nacho cheese on one end, chipotle on the other end and a combo of the two in the middle for $3.49 at many of the brand's locations. 

"At Taco Bell, we recognize and love the fandom that the Chalupa has cultivated over the years, and it's why we want to bring our fans an all-new flavor and shell experience with the Triplelupa," Taco Bell Research and Development Associate Manager Kristine Futalan said in the release. "The Triplelupa's nationwide launch gives us the opportunity to celebrate the transformation of this beloved menu item, and we can't wait for everyone to taste this latest innovation." 

For the LTOs launch, Taco Bell teamed with short-form mobile video platform TikTok on a national ad campaign. The promotion also features fan participation in a Taco Bell hashtag challenge on TikTok in coming weeks

McDonald's said its LTO celebrates the Big Mac's more than 50 years in existence for the Chicago-based brand. Taco Bell's Chalupa was first introduced 21 years ago by the Irvine, California-based brand. . 

Photos provided.