Taco Bell to launch Doritos Locos Tacos on March 8 to boost sales

Doritos Locos Tacos, Taco Bell’s potential saving grace delivered in a bright orange shell made of the snack chips, is arriving March 8 – and the chain is counting the seconds.

A clock on Taco Bell’s website is ticking down until the Doritos Locos Tacos launch. The company is sponsoring a Twitter contest to spark interest, promising to send a truck loaded with the tacos to the tweet with the most retweets.

There’s a lot riding on the long-gestating product – Taco Bell has reportedly built four factory lines specifically to make the shell, 60 million of which will be ready to be filled nationwide next week, according to The Daily Meal.

The taco is one of several recent launches from the Mexican-style restaurant, which has struggled to overcome a sales slump linked to a quickly dropped lawsuit over the quality of its seasoned meat filling.

Earlier this month, not long after rolling out new offerings such as a breakfast menu and meals that challenge Chipotle Mexican Grill’s healthier offerings, the chain was linked to a large salmonella outbreak late last year.

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