Taco Bell Breakfast Menu Hasn’t Really Impacted McDonald’s, Says CEO Don Thompson

Taco Bell is stirring up a lot of noise about its new breakfast menu, but the company’s latest offerings aren’t putting the fear into competitors just yet.

If you’re the sort of person who doesn’t pay much attention the foodstuff that finds its way into your mouth — this writer is definitely guilty of the crime on occasion — then there’s a chance you have consumed a Taco Bell breakfast item at some point over the past several weeks. Don’t feel too ashamed about the matter — we don’t pass judgment at The Inquisitr.

According to CNBC, Taco Bell isn’t taking a huge chunk out of McDonald’s bottom line. However, the fast food giant did report a decrease in same-store sales and earnings. This suggests that competitors from all angles are slowly but surely putting the hurt on Ronald McDonald’s kingdom.

Although CEO Don Thompson said Taco Bell isn’t impacting the business his company is generating during the breakfast hours, he did mention that the chain will roll out a marketing strategy in the near future. Not surprisingly, Thompson is focusing on what makes McDonald’s breakfast superior to the stuff Taco Bell is slinging these days.

“We actually crack eggs, we cook in our restaurants. This is not a microwave deal, we actually cook. We have grills and fryers and ovens. There are entrants into the marketplace that don’t have the same capabilities [McDonald’s has],” Thompson explained.

The McDonald’s CEO added that Taco Bell is essentially drawing more attention to the fast food breakfast market as a whole. Instead of simply advertising their latest offerings, the taco chain is giving everyone some free publicity. In short: The king of fast food isn’t too concerned about the aforementioned menu.

Although reactions to the Taco Bell breakfast menu is a decidedly mixed affair — people seem to love the A.M. Crunchwrap more than anything else — The Inquisitr previously reported that more folks prefer the chain’s new offerings to the food served up by the folks at McDonald’s.

Deutsch LA CEO Peter Favat believes the secret to Taco Bell’s success lies in getting people to essentially “think outside the bun.” Instead of automatically piloting their vehicles to McDonald’s in the morning, the company needs to essentially reprogram everyone’s daily habits.

“People are so tired in the morning, they’ve almost preprogrammed their cars to take them to McDonald’s. So we needed something that would grab people by the lapels and make them pay attention. It had to be bigger than just focusing on the men,” Favat said of Taco Bell’s Ronald McDonald’s commercial.

Do you think the Taco Bell breakfast menu still poses a threat to McDonald’s?

[Image via The Huffington Post]