Why You Should Never Order Taco Bell Steak, According To Employees

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Taco Bell has long been a go-to for a late night, inventive, Mexican-inspired, and, most importantly, cheap snack. Its value menu is one of the best out there at saving you a buck. Instead of farm-to-table, this is don't-ask-to-lap. It comes as no surprise that their steak may not be the highest quality. Look, we're not ashamed to admit we enjoy items like the steak and bacon grilled cheese burrito, but when a Taco Bell store manager went on Reddit recently and declared "I would NEVER eat the steak," that made us rethink our order.

The manager went on to say that their "crew calls it dear [sic] ankles." Deer ankles is often used on the internet to refer to cheap fast food mystery meats. To hear this from the employees of Taco Bell is certainly alarming! And this isn't the first time employees have said this. Another Reddit user commented on this admission that "this is not the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd time I've heard from employees that they wouldn't eat the steak."

All is not lost, however. The unnamed manager still eats at Taco Bell even if they avoid the steak. They have a regular order that truly only an employee could make for themselves, saying "my favorite order is a cantina double chicken burrito with onion, no pico, no purple cabbage, and no avocado ranch and I add breakfast salsa with mild sauce."

Luckily, with all the other options, it's easy to avoid the steak at Taco Bell. In fact, there are seemingly limited menu items due to their secret menu and willingness to customize anyway you want. Not customizing is high on our list of the biggest mistakes one can make when ordering at Taco Bell. In fact, one Reddit user commented "I always sub anything that has steak. All I can imagine is eating shoe soles." Another Redditor said "the ground beef and chicken are both great." Plus, Taco Bell is one of the easiest fast food restaurants to make anything vegetarian by subbing in black beans or potatoes. So sub away!

If you want to take a break from Taco Bell after reading this, that's understandable, too. You can replicate Taco Bell's ground beef at home for your next taco night. You can even make your own strips of steak not made from "deer ankles" for a burrito. Now that Taco Bell sells their sauce at stores it's easy to make it feel like you're living más in your own dining room.