The History Behind Taco Bell's Sauce Packet Sayings

Let's go on an adventure. If you never do, you'll never know. Tattoos or it didn't happen. Too bad you're not single. Don't worry, we're not waxing poetic or flirting with you — it's just the Taco Bell sauce packets talking.

If you've ever wanted your fast food to compliment or affirm you, the chain's hot sauce will leave you feeling seen. Available for free in five flavors, the sauce packets are a convenient, tasty way to spice up your order, but it's only in the past two decades that Taco Bell has shaken things up and made its hot sauce distribution system into a source of wit and whimsy. Whether they end up squeezed out onto a taco or stuffed into your car's glovebox "for later," the packets are an improvement from the cups that preceded them.

The company's first humble sauce packet from decades ago has evolved to feature all kinds of punny and sassy sayings. Many aren't available anymore, although serious Taco Bell sauce savants can find collections of various phrases on eBay. Clearly, they haven't gone unnoticed, unenjoyed, or even uninfluenced by customers, who were invited to vote on new hot sauce phrases. From inspiring saucy Halloween costumes to the Fire sauce's "Marry me!" that has spurred engagements, the packets have been impactful in both big and small ways. For the nostalgic and the curious, the history of how Taco Bell's sauce packets went from simply practical to something more is well worth digging into.

Taco Bell's hot sauces weren't always offered in packets. Before the squeezable stuff first showed up in the 1980s, a decade earlier, the chain served to-go taco sauce in nondescript plastic cups with peel-off lids. The Mild and Hot sauce packets were released in 1994, but the chain's condiment selection expansion was only just starting to heat up.

The original flavor wasn't enough for the new millennium, so the company got back in the kitchen. In the early 2000s, Taco Bell launched new (and now beloved) flavors — Fire and Hot. Besides the iconic logo, the packets released in 2004 sported unique sayings for the first time. Eight years later, Taco Bell created custom hand-written fonts for added charm. The phrases stuck around, receiving regular updates even to this day.

After all, the fast food chain allows its customers to modify menu items to their liking, so why not let the masses in on the sauce packet design process? In 2023, Taco Bell asked its rewards members to vote on a new slogans for each sauce flavor. The campaign offered fans "a unique opportunity to leave their own mark on and be a part of Taco Bell history," said Taylor Montgomery, U.S. Chief Marketing Officer, in a press release. The revised packets are debuting in 2024 as part of a larger redesign.

Different packaging hasn't been the only change to Taco Bell's sauce packets over the years. The flavors inside have also evolved since the 1980s. Back then, the taco sauce came in two flavors: Red Chili and Green Chili. Today, customers can spice up their meals with Mild, Hot, Fire, and Diablo. Craving a morning Crunch Wrap? The morning-exclusive breakfast salsa isn't as hot as its counterparts but has a sweet-spicy flavor. These aren't the only condiments that Taco Bell has developed, though. Plenty of limited-time sauces have come and gone.

In 2010, Taco Bell released Fire-Roasted and Verde-flavored sauces. The Fire-Roasted salsa contained, you guessed it, fire-roasted tomatoes as well as chile peppers, onions, garlic, and cilantro; the salsa verde featured tomatillos blended with garlic, onions, cilantro, and lime. Both were discontinued, but all hope isn't lost for a green sauce if that's your thing. March 2024 saw the launch of an Avocado Verde Salsa packet alongside Taco Bell's new Cantina menu. While it doesn't have quite the same tangy taste as the OG salsa verde, it still uses tomatillos. The sauce joins the new Secret Aardvark Nacho Fries as a limited-time menu item that combines spicy and fresh flavors. Its main downside? Unlike the free ones, this packet costs 20 cents a pop. Still, this addition to the Taco Bell sauce packets shows the condiment lineup's evolution is far from over.