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Food

Don't panic, but Taco Bueno changed its queso and tortilla chip recipes 

Taco Bueno has been "studying" queso, says chief marketing officer Sarah Beddoe. How serious can they be, you might ask? Reps from the Irving-based Taco Bueno headquarters talked to "thousands" of customers in the 350,000-person network of Buenoheads, some in one-on-one interviews, Beddoe says. The main topic of conversation was the cheesy Tex-Mex staple, the one certified Texans love to loveQueso.

The effort was to "make sure our customers are obsessed with our food," Beddoe says of the interviews.

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The result was a new — or, actually, old — recipe for Taco Bueno's queso, and a new tortilla chip. Taco Bueno's relaunched queso is the same recipe the company introduced in the late '60s or early '70s: "a very, very simple recipe" of mostly cheddar cheese and bell peppers, Beddoe says.

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Taco Bueno's queso has been available since Jan. 2 and 3 at all 184 stores, 80+ of which are in Dallas-Fort Worth.

The company's queso recipe has changed over several decades, but the original recipe first launched in Abilene — "and we have a lot of people who remember that," Beddoe says.

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A press release says the recipe is "all natural with no artificial coloring or flavors." The all-natural angle is becoming more common among fast-food chains, including with Chipotle, which just re-launched its queso to mixed results. Taco Bell just launched its new nacho fries.

Taco Bueno's new queso is for sale for 99 cents through early April. The price includes a bag of the new, thinner tortilla chips.

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The company is also now selling two loaded quesos: a vegetarian Cowboy Queso (black beans, guacamole, sour cream and pico de gallo); and Chili Bean Queso (ground beef, chili sauce and refried beans). Both cost $3.49 and come with two bags of chips.

With the original queso recipe and the new option of  loaded quesos, Beddoe says queso is an "event" at Taco Bueno now. Which is the best thing we've heard all week.

Taco Bueno also has three new Tex-Mex platters on its menu: Cheesy Fajita Chicken Chilada Platter, Grilled Fajita Chicken Soft Taco Platter and Crispy Shrimp Taco Platter.

Taco Bueno announced in early January 2018 that it would sell two loaded quesos: a...
Taco Bueno announced in early January 2018 that it would sell two loaded quesos: a vegetarian cowboy queso and a beefy chili bean queso. (Courtesy of Taco Bueno)

Correction at 2:15 p.m. Jan. 4, 2018: A former version of this story said the queso is made with jalapenos. The chief marketing officer corrected herself; it's made with bell peppers.