So the word around the town of Bethel, Alaska earlier this summer was that a Taco Bell was going to finally set up shop there. Fliers were put up around the village of 6,200 people 40 miles inland from the Bering Sea announcing the chain's imminent arrival, inviting residents to apply for a job. It was big news for folks whose only fast-food option is a Subway. The nearest Taco Bell was about 400 miles and an expensive plane ride away in Anchorage.
Trouble was the whole thing turned out to be a hoax. Police say it was perpetrated by one resident who was feuding with another. The phone number on those fliers was that of the pranked.
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In response, Taco Bell, which isn't one to take an opportunity for some feel good news and cheap publicity for granted, flew in ingredients to make 10,000 free tacos for the town.
Yesterday, 950 pounds of beef, 150 pounds of cheese, 500 pounds of sour cream, 300 pounds of tomatoes, and 300 pounds of lettuce was airlifted into Bethel for a massive taco party.
Now that's the kind of sight that the company hopes will make you forget about that fake meat lawsuit a few years ago. Well played, Taco Bell. Well played.
Before becoming an award-winning restaurant critic for OC Weekly in 2007, Edwin Goei went by the alias “elmomonster” on his blog Monster Munching, in which he once wrote a whole review in haiku.