Last week, I was racing through downtown Spokane trying to arrive at the bus stop in time to ride out to Cheney. I suddenly found myself at a halt as I slammed my brakes at a red light. While frantically waiting for the light to turn green, I gazed at the Taco Bell to my right. On the restaurant’s windows were multiple posters advertising the chain’s Decades Y2K promotion. Besides the general poster, the other ones promoted specific menu items. One poster promoted the chili cheese burrito, an absolute retro favorite of mine!

This was the poster I saw on the Taco Bell located on Third Avenue in downtown Spokane. However, I took this particular photo at the Taco Bell on Sullivan in Spokane Valley when I went to pick up food on Saturday night.

I ended up making the bus and when I sat down I Googled the promotion. In addition to the chili cheese burrito, Taco Bell had also revived classics like the double decker taco, the cool ranch Doritos locos taco, and even its infamous caramel apple empanada.

Surprise surprise, all of this really excited your esteemed blogger. And it didn’t just make me happy because I loved the chili cheese burritos and the gooey/hot empanadas. Believe it or not, I appreciated it the most because Taco Bell was paying tribute to the absolute best era of its existence: the early 2000s.

Although I enjoyed Taco Bell more in the early 2000s than in 2025, I couldn’t help but visit on Saturday.

I had so many good times and nice memories at Taco Bell during my high school years. Late night burritos after poker, big meals after football victories, and casual lunches with friends during the summer. The food hit the spot, the prices were dirt cheap, and the dining rooms were always inviting (who didn’t like the purple/teal color scheme).

I loved hanging out at Taco Bell in the early 2000s. It just isn’t the same anymore. As you can tell from this photo I took when I was inside the location on Sullivan in Spokane Valley, they don’t even try to make the store locations welcoming to people who want to eat inside.

Don’t get me wrong, Taco Bell helped me through my college years and I still enjoy it every now and then today, but nothing beat the “Y2K” era.

If Taco Bell introduced Decades Y2K to generate nostalgia and bring back 35-40 year olds who never said “no” to a bean burrito when they were in high school, they hit their goal with me. This past Saturday night, I made it a requirement that my family order food from Taco Bell. Trust me, if I had not seen the promotion earlier that week, I would not have told my wife Yo Quiero Taco Bell.

If it wasn’t for the Decades Y2K promotion, I would not have visited this Taco Bell (Sullivan in Spokane Valley) on Saturday night.

As you probably guessed, I ordered a chili cheese burrito. Oh wait, I can’t lie, I actually ordered two chili cheese burritos. They came out in vastly different sizes but that didn’t phase me. Were they as good as I remembered? Unfortunately not. Did I still eat them both in record time. You bet!

These were the two chili cheese burritos I brought home from Taco Bell. Like I mentioned above, there is some size disparity.

Even if a retro item didn’t seem to hit like it did decades ago, nothing can taint the memories I have from the hours I spent inside Taco Bell as a teen. Perhaps I am just drunk on Baja Blast, but those were some special times. Don’t Blink. 🌮