Sure, you may think that all fast food chains serve the same food all day. Besides the widely known Whataburger and Chick-Fil-A breakfasts, many chains often have the exact same thing on their menu no matter what time of day. Usually, the biggest thing you have to worry about when dealing with fast-food restaurants is what time they stop serving breakfast. So imagine my shock when I learned that Taco Bell has a lunch menu.
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(Photo by Joshua Blanchard/Getty Images for Taco Bell)
Yep, you read that right. Shocked, too, huh? That means even though most Taco Bell locations open at 7 a.m., you may be required to order off the breakfast menu until 11 a.m., an hour later than McDonald's, when lunch starts. However, if you arrive early, fear not: The breakfast menu includes many popular items, including their Crunchwrap, burritos (including breakfast burritos), and tacos.
In 2014, Taco Bell expanded its hours and rolled out its breakfast menu, first in California and then around the nation. What began as a small menu has grown to include 14 different offerings, and although the chain did briefly cease breakfast operations early in the pandemic, breakfast is back in more than 7,000 Taco Bell locations nationwide.
What Time Does Taco Bell Serve Lunch?
The short answer: It depends, but, 11 a.m. at the latest.
According to their official website, lunch begins at 11 a.m. and ends at 2 p.m. However, the exact hours can vary by franchise owner and location, meaning specific Taco Bell outposts may start serving lunch as early as 9 a.m. or 10 a.m. In fact, some serve their lunch all day long, kind of like what McDonald's does with their breakfast items. (After 2 p.m., Taco Bell begins serving dinner, although there is no distinct menu change to reflect this transition.)
(Photo by Joshua Blanchard/Getty Images for Taco Bell)
Many of the food items on the Taco Bell lunch menu can easily be seen as a breakfast item, if you're feeling a little more adventurous. "Our lunch options include your favorite menu items like tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, and more. Try the iconic Crunchy Taco or Chicken Quesadilla for a lunch you know you'll love or customize your order to get your food just how you like it," one location advertises.
If it were up to me, I would truly eat their nacho cheese for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. The Taco Bell breakfast hours or Taco Bell menu separations truly don't make a difference for some cheesy goodness!
If you're not sure what the Taco Bell lunch hours are, just check out tacobell.com or call your local franchise. There you can check on your local Taco Bell to see what they're serving, and even order that Locos Taco or tostada ahead of time.
