The Taco That Created 15,000 Jobs

For much of the past year, analysts have claimed that a host of political factors are inhibiting hiring — regulation, the fiscal cliff, the sequester, the debt ceiling, the reelection of a socialist.

Powerful forces, indeed.

But there’s another force at work — more powerful, more ubiquitous, and arguably more delicious: Doritos Locos Tacos. The neon-orange, meat-filled miracle taco, wrapped in a Nacho Cheese Dorito shell, was Taco Bell’s biggest hit of 2012, with 375 million sold, or roughly one million a day. It was largely responsible for the chain’s incredible growth, outpacing not just KFC and Pizza Hut, but even McDonald’s.

If you had asked me to make a wager on whether or not a taco made with a Doritos shell would be a wildly successful fast food item people would want to consume, I would have bet against it and lost. The Daily Beast wonders whether or not this taco will save America. Probably not, but bravo, Doritos Locos Taco, you proved me wrong.

Photo: Yum! Brands

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