Taco Bell Turns Doritos Into Sorta-Mexican Sorta-Food Through The Power Of Synergy

How can Taco Bell’s $2 meal deal, in which one can get a burrito or taco plus a soda and a bag of Doritos for the recession-friendly sum of two (or eight, if you have to pay with change) Washingtons, exist? “The 150 million bags of Doritos it expects to sell this year will come from former parent and current supplier PepsiCo. Beverages typically cost chains pennies on the retail dollar.” And then there is the delicate matter of the stuffings that fill said cheapo gorditas and cut-rate tacos, which are low-cost (and low-other things!) enough to keep other items on the menu at sub-dollar price points.