IMO, combos shouldn’t be more than 20% cheaper than ordering items a la carte. Like, it shouldn’t be legal to price things that way. It’s just ridiculous that you get ripped off unless you order like, 500 more calories worth of food than you should really be eating in a single meal.

Around July last year my local Taco Bell was selling the Chalupa Cravings Box for $5, purchasing the items separately was $12.47 before tax.

• Chalupa Supreme - $4.79
• Beefy 5-Layer Burrito - $3.99
• Crunchy Taco - $1.69
• Cinnamon Twists - $1.00
• Medium drink - $1.00

And right now I can order a Cheesy Bean & Rice burrito:

• Beans
• Seasoned Rice
• Creamy jalapeno sauce
• Nacho cheese sauce

=420 calories, $1.49

But a Bean burrito:

• Beans
• Cheese
• Onions
• Red sauce

=360 calories, $2.19

But you can add the onions and red sauce to any menu item for free...why the $.70 difference? Adding seasoned rice is $.30, nacho cheese sauce is $.69, creamy jalapeno sauce is $.19 -- I really don't understand how they arrive at the prices for their menu items at all.