Taco Bell Is Celebrating Its 'Taco Tuesday' Trademark Win With Free Food
May your Taco Tuesday be truly blessed.
John Tlumacki / The Boston Globe via Getty Images
As we look back at the past couple of months, this has definitely been the Summer of Taco Tuesday. Or, rather, of the Fight for Taco Tuesday. This weekday revolution started in mid-May when Taco Bell petitioned the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Trademark Trial and Appeal Board to cancel Taco John’s trademark on the words “Taco Tuesday.” The Wyoming-based chain had held the rights to that phrase in 49 states since 1989, but Taco Bell argued that “Taco Tuesday’ should belong to “all who make, sell, eat and celebrate tacos.”
It took less than two months (and perhaps one conversation about the cost of this particular legal battle) for Taco John’s to surrender its trademark, giving Taco Tuesday back to the people. And, to celebrate this truly landmark victory, Taco Bell is now giving away free Doritos Locos Tacos for the next four Tuesdays: on August 15, August 22, August 29, and September 5.
John Tlumacki / The Boston Globe via Getty Images
Those Tuesday giveaways are leading up to a massive Taco Tuesday celebration on September 12, when Taco Bell has opened a “$5 million taco tab” on DoorDash to cover a portion of any taco-lover’s order from any participating restaurant that sells Mexican cuisine. (That is, except in New Jersey, since Gregory’s Restaurant and Bar is hanging on to its own “Taco Tuesday” trademark in the Garden State.)
“[T]his Free-For-All will not only thank taco fans who supported the cause, but will also spotlight local restaurants and vendors who can now embrace Taco Tuesdays without fear of legal action,” Taylor Montgomery, the Chief Marketing Officer for Taco Bell U.S., said in a statement. “When tacos win, we all win. We all win when Taco John’s decides to release its trademark registration, we all win when taco vendors everywhere are free to join the movement, and we all win when taco fans can freely celebrate and support Taco Tuesdays at Taco Bell or anywhere else.”
When Taco John’s gave up its “Taco Tuesday” trademark, it also pledged a $40,000 donation — $100 for each of its 400 locations — to the nonprofit organization Children of Restaurant Employees (CORE) which provides financial relief to food and beverage industry workers who are facing health crises or other challenges. The Taco Bell Foundation has since matched that donation.
The next few Tuesdays’ free Doritos Locos Tacos will be available at participating Taco Bell locations throughout the United States (all 50 of them). The offer is limited to one per person, per day, and only available on delivery orders that are placed through the Taco Bell app.
And remember, there’s nobody stopping you from celebrating Taco Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday too.
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