In the fast-food industry, keeping customers coming back often requires toeing a fine line between innovation and the nostalgic tastes that many associate with visits in their younger years.

After the viral popularity of its Grimace campaign in 2023, McDonald’s  (MCD)  has tried to expand on that interest in nostalgia with everything from the adult Happy Meal to the return of the iconic Halloween Boo Buckets for the third year in a row.

Yum! Brands  (YUM) -owned Taco Bell, meanwhile, has now launched two separate Decades menus of items that it sold in past years but eventually retired — everything from the Chili Cheese Burrito in the 1970s to the more recent Double Decker and Cool Ranch Doritos tacos.

These are the five new items being tested at select Taco Bell restaurants this fall

But with the 2025 Decades menu set to end by the end of the year, Taco Bell is currently testing some new items for the coming one. 

As first reported by fast-food industry watchdog site Snackolator, the fast-food chain is testing five items in two markets: Chipotle Ranch Chicken Stacker, Chips & Nacho Supreme Dip, Mini Taco Salad, Beefy Potato Loaded Griller, and Salted Caramel Churros.

The latter is the only dessert on the menu, while the other four are different variations of the Tex-Mex flavors the chain regularly offers. 

The Mini Taco Salad is another nostalgic item that first hit Taco Bell menus in 1984 and this time will be brought back with the chipotle sauce the chain recently also started selling in bottled form.

Related: KFC brings back unexpected side item after 30 years

The Chipotle Ranch Chicken Stacker is also Taco Bell’s signature folded tortilla with the new mix of chipotle and creamy avocado sauces, while the Chips & Nacho Supreme Dip is a fast-food take on the seven-layer dip with refried beans, seasoned beef, salsa, sour cream, and a three-cheese blend served alongside tortilla chips.

All five items have already hit menus at Taco Bell stores in Indianapolis, and Snackolator was the first to spot that they are now also available at Dayton, Ohio locations. 

Both locations are a part of the market tests used to judge whether interest is strong enough for a full national rollout.

Taco Bell offered various forms of churros over the years.

Image source: Taco Bell

Want to try the new Taco Bell items? Here is what we know about the menu

“They originally started in Indianapolis and they recently added Dayton which is a great sign that I will get my salted caramel churros,” the watchdog wrote in the Instagram post announcing the new items.

Churros are among the most classic and popular desserts that Taco Bell has rolled out in many different seasonal flavors and forms over the years. Salted Caramel puts the sweet filling inside the usual cinnamon sugar-coated pastry.

More Food News:

  • McDonald’s menu finally brings back most-wanted fan favorite
  • Popular fast-food burger chain to open first store in new market
  • Walmart makes deal to open popular food chain in stores

Other flavors that have proven particularly popular include a birthday cake version through a partnership with New York bakery Milk Bar, chocolate and strawberry versions, as well as the Churro Chillers that turn the flavors of the dessert into a drink version with roast coffee, cream, and a crumble topping.

“The idea of adding SALTED CARAMEL CHURROS to every order keeps me hopeful about the future of the world,” Snackolator wrote in the same post.

Related: This Western city just got its first two-star Michelin restaurant