Taco Bell Slowly Wooing Customers Away From McDonald’s [Survey]

Taco Bell is slowly but surely wooing customers away from the nation’s most popular fast food chain.

The so-called breakfast wars started last month when Taco Bell unveiled its highly-anticipated breakfast menu. While your opinion of the restaurant’s morning meals depends greatly on your tolerance for eggs, cheese, and calories, a lot of people seem to prefer Taco Bell’s offerings over the items McDonald’s has on its menu.

According to The Consumerist, the company’s new A.M. Crunchwrap and the Waffle Taco have lured more than a handful of patrons away from the fast food giant. This is definitely a huge win for the folks at Taco Bell, especially since so many people thought they were crazy for taking on Ronald McDonald.

Business Insider managed to get its digital hands on a recent Citi Research survey. The data suggests that more people prefer the Taco Bell breakfast over the stuff that’s getting slung across the counter at McDonald’s. In fact, 33 percent of these individuals had their minds on Taco Waffles and A.M. Crunchwraps. Only 24 percent of people preferred Ronald’s old-fashioned breakfast menu.

Of course, there’s still plenty of room for McDonald’s to bring customers back into the fold. According to the survey, 43 percent of the people who participated in the poll would spend their hard-earned money at either restaurant. More people may prefer Taco Bell’s breakfast over the competition, but the war isn’t over just yet.

Ted Marzilli, chief executive of YouGov BrandIndex, believes that the new menu is a success thus far. He explained, “This is looking very much like a positive story for Taco Bell.”

Marzilli added, “If Taco Bell has more versions of the campaign, it could continue to gain similar attention, and then it’s all about how successful the menu items are. They could be getting a new set of consumers who aren’t normal Taco Bell customers, who might permanently raise their level of perception about Taco Bell.”

Unfortunately for McDonald’s, business just isn’t booming at the moment. The Associated Press reports that first quarter sales dropped 1.7 percent in the US due to “challenging industry dynamics and severe winter weather.” However, the restaurant said business in Europe increased by 1.4 percent.

For now, it’s unclear who will emerge victorious in the breakfast wars. Although Taco Bell definitely captured everyone’s attention with its new breakfast menu, customers who bailed on McDonald’s could eventually return to the world’s most popular fast food restaurant once that new waffle taco smell wears off.

[Image via Bing]