The One Meat Taco Bell Employees Won't Order For Themselves, According To Reddit

Taco Bell has been serving up tacos, burritos, and other tasty fare since 1962. Over the years, the company has become not only a household name, but also the largest Mexican chain restaurant in the U.S. Its menu has certainly expanded since the brand's early days. At its opening, Taco Bell sold only five items: frijoles, tostados, chili burgers, burritos, and the namesake tacos.

Among the various cheesy quesadillas, chalupas, gorditas, and more that now flow out by the millions from Taco Bell's 8,000-plus global locations, there's one type of meat circulating on the menu that even employees won't touch. "I would NEVER eat the steak," a self-identified Taco Bell manager stated on Reddit. "My crew calls it [deer] ankles."

Taco Bell steak undeniably has an odd texture (that's thanks to the carrageenan additive). Some Redditors compare the texture to masticated beef jerky, while others liken the meat to roast beef, pot roast, or even beef stew because of the hefty liquid content that sometimes accompanies it.

Along with carrageenan, the beef contains ingredients such as modified potato starch, sodium phosphates, corn syrup solids, and something called disodium inosinate and guanylate. Setting aside its makeup, though, Taco Bell employees have other reasons for not ordering the chain's steak items. "As someone who is a manager at Taco Bell [the steak] is one of the most mixed bags in fast food depending on staff, time of day, [and] amount of business. So many factors can leave you feeling satisfied or absolutely appalled," a Reddit user shared.

So, why do some people have enjoyable steak experiences at Taco Bell while others get unpalatable meat? "This happens when the steak is ... [going] out of date and has been sitting all day," one Reddit user wrote, adding that the meat can gain "a soft texture and horrible salty taste" if it's been left to marinate "in the juice from the previous day."

Individual restaurants' policies can also make or break steak quality. "My opener always drops too much ... and we end up using the same steak all day," one Redditor wrote. Sometimes, this is deliberately done to reduce inventory costs. The frequent end result is less-than-appetizing steak being served to customers.

You're also largely at the mercy of individual employees when it comes to quality. "I actually was about to scoop [old steak] onto a quesadilla today and decided to throw it out and give new steak instead," another self-identified Taco Bell employee posted.

Another reason Taco Bell workers avoid the chain's steak items is their sodium content, which is intensified by the meat stewing in its sauce and juices while sitting on the restaurants' holding lines. "Can confirm the steak gets HELLA salty after sitting on line for hours," a self-identified employee posted on Reddit. "I work closing shift, and sometimes if we have another bag prepped, we'll pull the steak that's been sitting forever and munch on it. It's SO salty and intense."

Some consumers find Taco Bell's steak options to be high in sodium even before accounting for extended holding times in the pan juices. For example, a Grilled Cheese Burrito with Steak contains 1,500 milligrams of sodium — the maximum daily intake recommended for most adults by the American Heart Association. While it is unclear how much extra sodium the steak absorbs as it sits in its holding sauce, excessive saltiness is a common customer complaint. One diner sharing their experience on Reddit noted that the high salt level "really ruined my [Stacker]," stating that it "was so salty I didn't even finish it."

Self-identified employees point to changes in Taco Bell's steak product as another culprit. "[The] steak was changed around the time the [Cantina] menu dropped," a Redditor stated. "The liquid the steak is kept in is much darker now and it is salty as f*** compared to before. Gotta cut it with potatoes and sour cream to make it edible."