As Taco Bell’s Crunchwrap turns 20, it’s time to celebrate true innovation

Taco Bell sells 100 million Crunchwraps every year, and we’ve now seen 20 years since its June 22, 2005, launch. The Crunchwrap concept had languished in development for a decade while corporate recipe developers at Taco Bell labored to turn a folded tortilla into a structural masterpiece that could be reproduced tens of thousands of times a day around the country. It became the fastest-selling menu item in the chain’s history, moving 51 million units in its first six weeks.

The Crunchwrap has spawned legions of imitators, but remains a major accomplishment in culinary innovation in its own right.

Straightforwardly, designing anything that’s produced on the order of millions is a supreme challenge, and that’s not even factoring in whether or not it actually sticks.

That’s one reason that top-notch chefs are willing to leave gigs at high-end, exclusive restaurants to run the menu at national food chains. That kind of role means a chef can create dishes at, say, Sonic that would reach more diners in an hour than they would in a year at the trendy joint.

Sure, you can gauge a product by its mimics. But the reality that the Crunchwrap has remained a staple on Taco Bell’s ever-changing menu board is a victory in its own right.

The Takeaway

There’s a bigger lesson here. As everyone from home cooks to professional chefs to major outlets follow the lead of big brands by concocting vegan Crunchwraps or “better” Big Macs, there are still people for whom the genuine articles have meaning — be that as an indulgence, a tradition, a last resort, or quick and affordable means to an end. Even with a proliferation of dupes, Taco Bell sells 100 million Crunchwraps every year and McDonald’s sells 550 million Big Macs annually in the US alone.