Taco Bell is eliminating its kids’ meals and toys beginning this month with its complete implementation by January 2014.
The crunchy beef taco and bean burrito in the kids’ meals will be offered as an a la carte option. Kids’ meals were not a big seller for the brand, accounting for less than a half of 1 percent of sales. That amounted to restaurants selling an average four to five kids’ meals per day.
The company said the move is more to focus on the brand’s target audience of Millenials – young males ages 18-35.
Market research firm The NPD Group found last year that national sales of kids’ meals declined in 2011, in part because families weren’t visiting restaurants as often overall.
For the year ended in December 2011, restaurant visits that included the purchase of a kids’ meal with a toy declined 6 percent compared with the previous year. Orders of regular kids’ menus also fell 1 percent, and visits including the purchase of an older-kids’ meal decreased 16 percent.
• Jack in the Box, in 2011, pulled the toys from its kids’ meals and began offering more healthful options, such as apple slices in place of fries.
• KFC, the sister brand of Taco Bell, launched the Li’l Buckets kids meal in March.
The meal comes with a grilled chicken drumstick, green beans, an applesauce pouch and Capri Sun Roarin’ Water, though options can be customized.