The Choco Taco's Demise Is A Golden Opportunity
Klondike might have killed its most iconic treat, but everyone else is rushing to take up the torch.
If you haven't heard the news about the end of the Chaco Taco by now, then I will just assume this is your first time on the internet in the past two weeks. And in that case, I'll give you a brief summary: Klondike decided to quietly discontinue its iconic Choco Taco ice cream dessert, and people are not okay.
The aftermath of the devastating decision continues in the form of snack companies, restaurant chains, and eBay sellers swarming the carcass of this classic ice cream truck treat, each looking for every possible marketing opportunity they can take away from it. And they've found quite a few.
The $100 Choco Taco and more
Per a press release sent to The Takeout, New York City restaurant Serendipity3 is paying its own tribute to the Choco Taco by... selling a $100 version of it.
The Serendipity Golden Taco will be on the menu for one day only: October 4, which happens to be National Taco Day. The high-priced Choco Taco tribute has a rather literal name, as the taco, which will consist of house-made waffles, Serendipity's signature Frrrozen Hot Chocolate Ice Cream, and ruby chocolate, will be topped with 23K edible gold. (We know a thing or two about playing around with that stuff.)
Meanwhile, on the same day in October, artisanal ice cream brand Salt & Straw plans to sell its own Choco Taco spinoff, a previously released menu item called the Chocolate Tacolate. This iteration "features a handmade waffle cone as a taco shell, stuffed with cinnamon ancho ice cream, dipped in single-origin chocolate, and sprinkled with flaky salt," per a statement sent to The Takeout.
On the other hand, some brands are putting in less effort to capitalize on the Choco Taco–shaped hole in the market. Take, for example, Snickers: The candy brand also sells a popular ice cream bar version of its classic product and, in an attempt to get in on the action, tweeted that its ice cream could also be thought of as a Mexican-inspired dessert, technically speaking. You just have to call it a Chillychanga.
A treat packed with ice cream, caramel, and peanuts is just the thing to help you get over this week's news.
(Don't worry, we didn't change the SNICKERS Ice Cream Bar. We just gave it a silly name to try to win internet points.) pic.twitter.com/T4qKcCc79S
— SNICKERS (@SNICKERS) July 29, 2022
"A treat packed with ice cream, caramel, and peanuts is just the thing to help you get over this week's news," read the tweet, which goes on to openly admit that nothing about the Snickers Ice Cream Bar has changed—the brand just gave it the name Chillychanga to "win internet points."
In addition to these reinterpretations of the beloved dessert, eBay sellers are finally seeing movement on cases of the original Choco Taco that were listed immediately after the announcement of its demise. One listing for a box of 24 Choco Tacos has sold on eBay for $270, after an opening bid price of $109. Another listing for a single Choco Taco, originally priced at $99, sold for $102.
I'm sure this is only the beginning. The Choco Taco may be gone (for now), but it couldn't be farther from forgotten.