Taco Bell is launching a new flavor of Doritos Locos despite workers begging the chain to stop encouraging customers to swarm stores

• On Thursday, Taco Bell is releasing a new flavor of Doritos Locos tacos: Flamin' Hot.
• The new item will be available nationwide for $2 via drive-thru or delivery.
• This announcement comes as Taco Bell faces worker backlash for launching promotions that have caused stores to become overrun with customers.
• Workers said that the chain's "Taco Tuesday" giveaway resulted in overwhelming drive-thru traffic, increasing their workload and their risk of exposure tenfold.
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Taco Bell is releasing Flamin' Hot Doritos Locos tacos, the chain announced on Wednesday.

This new version of the chain's fan-favorite Doritos Locos tacos will be available for $2 nationwide starting Thursday via drive-thru or delivery.

In September 2019, the chain cut two flavors of Doritos Locos tacos from its menu, Fiery and Cool Ranch, as part of a broader menu reorganization. Doritos previously shifted around its flavors and released its new Flamin' Hot and revamped Cool Ranch flavors in January 2019.

This announcement comes as Taco Bell workers are petitioning the chain to stop drawing customers to stores with new promotions during the coronavirus pandemic. For the past two weeks, Taco Bell has run a "Taco Tuesday" promotion, which offered customers a free Doritos Locos taco if they came to drive-thrus, no purchase necessary.

Taco Bell workers say that the chain's "Taco Tuesday" promotion resulted in "the busiest we've seen the store since the Corona pandemic began."

A Taco Bell representative told Business Insider in regard to the promotion that the chain is "very sensitive to our team members' feedback, and we want them to know that we hear their concerns. It's very important to us that Taco Bell remains the safest place to work and eat. This offer is available via drive-thru and carry-out only, so person-to-person contact remains limited."

But some workers are even calling for locations to close as drive-thrus are overwhelmed with customers. "We are working ten times harder for no reason," a Taco Bell worker who spoke with Business Insider in late March said. "We are human too, and yes, it's nice to have a job when so many are losing theirs, but it isn't worth the risk."

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