Taco Bell surprised me, so sweetly

Yo quiero more brands to implement Taco Bell's subtle little nudge

Over the summer, during a long car ride home from the beach, we stopped at Taco Bell (sue me). As a veg, I figured I’d go to the counter and order whatever, specifying “no meat,” and then make my little spousey taste test the food for me to ensure there really was no meat in it (he often does this for me and it’s pretty adorable of us).

Instead, I was met with the option to select “veggie mode,” a prompt on an in-store kiosk. Veggie mode is “a single-swipe feature that instantly transforms the menu to show only vegetarian items on self-service ordering kiosks nationwide.”

Taco Bell’s “Slide for Veggie Mode” prompt — gorgeous.

According to a press release, “Veggie Mode makes it easier than ever for consumers to gain instant access to Taco Bell’s nearly 50 American Vegetarian Association (AVA)-certified items […]. [C]ustomers can further customize their orders while in Veggie Mode, with a total of over 20 million possible vegetarian menu combinations – enough to customize a new meal every day for more than 50,000 years.”

Met with that green digital toggle, I felt seen, I felt elated, I felt like change was happening at that very moment while I was sweating though my linen mumu. It wasn’t because I could eat something new at Taco Bell every day for the rest of my life. “Veggie Mode” is way bigger than me and my food choices.

This is a “Black Bean Crunchwrap Fresco Style.” I wonder if each bean was placed carefully in its row with a tweezer. Stunning symmetry.

Can I tell you why Taco Bell’s feature is so important? I’m gonna.

Taco Bell’s little menu add goes beyond serving its vegetarian clientele; I see it as a “nudge,” or a subtle influencing factor that directs customers to make a better decision. (A classic example of a nudge is positioning a salad bar at the entrance of a cafeteria — it’s not making the decision for a person, but guiding them psychologically to, in this case, pile some veggies on their plate.)

I’m imagining someone being told to eat less meat by their doctor. That can be an overwhelming directive, especially for those raised to believe animal protein is a necessary part of every meal. With a swipe of “Veggie Mode,” this person is presented with a host of options without having to do any mental calculations. It’s especially cool to me that this feature is happening at a fast food chain. No one’s going to Taco Bell to take their doctor’s cautions to heart, but the feature acts as a gentle hand hold, almost as if to say, hey, cutting out meat here doesn’t have to be so tough. Let us help you.

As a vegetarian, I was prepared to walk into TB and do some tinkering to make the menu work for me. I am used to having to do these kinds of calculations. But for folks who don’t always opt for veg, the nudge is game changer. Taco Bell had to do very little work to shorten the distance between “individual responsibility” and “corporate responsibility.”

What I mean is this: Eating less meat and dairy is the “single biggest way” for individuals to reduce their impact on the planet. That’s all good to know and stuff, but unless presented with seamless (and tasty) options for eating less meat, most people aren’t going to make this big life change. Enter: veggie mode.

A recent Times report revealed that big food brands are flailing when it comes to cutting greenhouse gas emissions. Of the 20 largest food/restaurant companies in the world, over half have failed to make progress on their goals to reduce emissions (some have even reported rising emissions). “The bulk of emissions — in many cases more than 90 percent — come from the companies’ supply chains,” the Times reports. “In other words, the cows and wheat used to make burgers and cereal.”

In other, other words: the problem is beef.

I don’t anticipate that Taco Bell and its peers will ditch selling meat in my lifetime. But as these big corporations (who reach the masses) present more frictionless options to order something cheap and meatless, I can anticipate people spending their money on food that’s a little gentler on the planet. And maybe this, in turn, can help the brands make real headway on their greenhouse gas goals.

You scratch my back, Taco Bell, and I’ll scratch yours (but don’t touch me actually).