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The concept of menu hacking, or modifying an existing fast-food menu item with a few ingredient tweaks, has been around for years. But with the rise of food-based content creators on TikTok, #menuhack has become its own genre of content, spawning trends from a McDonalds ice cream dipped in coffee to a Starbucks Frappuccino inspired by the Barbie movie. Amid this flurry of custom orders, few menus have been hacked more than Taco Bells. Now, Taco Bell is formalizing menu hacking with a new feature called Fan Style. The tool, which is currently available via Taco Bells app for the brands Rewards members, lets fans design their own custom orders, name them, and earn extra Rewards points when other fans order them. Later this year, Taco Bell plans to select some of the most popular Fan Styles to appear on its national menu. [Photo: Taco Bell] Taco Bell isnt the first fast-food giant to land on the bright idea of turning menu-hacking culture into an actual product offering. In 2022, McDonalds launched its own limited-time Menu Hacks menu. In 2023, Chipotle launched a fajita quesadilla inspired by a TikTok trend. And early this month, Starbucks turned its iconic secret menu into an actual rotating menu inspired by online drink creations. As digital ordering becomes increasingly popular and social media powers a constant food trend cycle, fast-food hacks are no longer reserved for fans in the know. Now, theyre an integrated part of the ordering experience. [Photo: Taco Bell] Taco Bell menu hacks take off According to Dane Mathews, Taco Bells chief digital and technology officer, the companys digital salesincluding via the app, kiosks, and third-party deliveryhave grown 37% year over year. Now, 42% of Taco Bells total sales come through digital channels. Alongside the move away from in-person ordering has come a spike in customizations: Today, 66% of all Taco Bell app orders contain at least one customized product. Over the past few months, Taco Bell fans on TikTok have found countless ways to remix the brands relatively limited ingredient profile into custom creations, whether that be to score a better deal, make the chains classic offerings a bit healthier, or to boost the flavor profile of a plain bean-and-cheese burrito. While Mathews says that having a personal go-to order has been a status symbol of true Taco Bell fandom for decades, its certainly becoming a more mainstream concept. Fan Style elevates menu hacks out of the comment sections and gives the biggest fans an opportunity to earn points, ad placements, and even a spot on the national menu, he adds. How to use Taco Bell “Fan Style” Feature To create a Fan Style order, users can navigate to the Fan Style section of the app and build an item as they see fit, adding and subtracting ingredients until it matches their preferences. Then, theyll need to save the custom order to their profile by clicking the share button and giving it a personalized name. Imagine Dan Made This Style: a Cheesy Gordita Crunch that removes the Spicy Ranch and adds Creamy Jalapeo Sauce and jalapeos for extra spice, a Taco Bell press release suggests. [Photo: Taco Bell] From there, users can share their menu hack order on social media, which will allow them to receive Rewards points anytime someone else orders their Fan Styleturning the feature into whats essentially a free marketing blitz for Taco Bell. [Screenshot: courtesy of the author] Unfortunately, the app itself doesn’t currently display others’ Fan Styles, so fans have to find them on social media or through Taco Bell’s out-of-home ad campaign in order to actually try someone else’s creation. Sometime later this year (the company didn’t provide specifics), Taco Bell will select a few Fan Styles to appear on the national menu for a limited time. When it comes to potential logistical challenges associated with giving fans free rein to hack the menu, Mathews says that isnt a major concern, considering that employees have become pretty familiar with assembling customizations in recent years. [Photo: Taco Bell] Whether it be swapping protein choices, adding craveable sauces [like the all-new Sweet Chipotle BBQ], or hacking a rendition to emulate a retired favorite itemour team members have always helped bring these customizations to life, he says. Like with Starbucks’s new secret menu feature, Fan Style gives Taco Bell a simple way to tap into viral trends without actually creating those trends in-house; essentially outsourcing the ideation process to the creators who already do it best. As fast-food giants catch on to fans desire for individualized orders, its safe to say that the “secret menu” is not so secret anymore.
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E-Commerce
Ty Haney is wearing a blinged-out zip hoodie, with the words “Doing Things” emblazoned in diamanté. This was the motto of Outdoor Voices, the activewear brand she founded in 2013 at the age of 23. Five years ago, Haney left Outdoor Voices in the midst of crisis. Reports swirled that Haney was experiencing conflict with retail magnate Mickey Drexler, who had been brought in as chairman, and that the company was losing money. Last year, Outdoor Voices shuttered all retail stores and was acquired by the private equity group Consortium Brand Partners. And in a twist, Consortium reached out to Haney to see if she would want to come back to lead the company again. Haney said no. In her time away from Outdoor Voices, she had launched two other companies: Joggy, an energy drink brand that is now sold at Target, and Try Your Best (TYB), a consumer loyalty platform with 200 brands on it. “I was, like, ‘No, I’m busy,” she recalls. “I enjoy what I’m doing.” [Photo: Outdoor Voices] It wasn’t just that Haney had a lot on her plate, running two startups as a mother of two. It was also that her departure had been so traumatic. Haney was part of a broader wave of female founders who left their companies over the last five years, sometimes in a shroud of disgrace, in what has been described as the end of the girlboss era. Steph Korey, cofounder of Away, stepped down after being accused of creating a toxic work environment. Yael Aflalo, founder of Reformation, stepped aside because of allegations of racism. Gregg Renfrew, founder of Beautycounter, was ousted from her company after she sold it to private equity group Carlyle. In Haney’s case, the problems were largely focused on profitability. The company had raised more than $60 million from investors like Forerunner and General Catalyst, who bet that Outdoor Voices could one day grow to the size of Nike or Lululemon. But six years in, it was losing $2 million a month, with annual sales of $40 million. Drexler was brought in to help steer the ship, but his strategies and leadership style were at odds with Haney’s. And she saw no other path but to leave her fledgling brand. But even after turning down Consortium’s offer, the private equity firm kept coming back. And it struck Haney that she had an opportunity to revive the brand she had poured so much of her life into building, and to make it relevant to the next generation of consumers. “They saw a brand without a founder and a brand without vision, and that’s not a good scenario,” she says. “I began to think this could be a really awesome creative outlet.” [Photo: Outdoor Voices] Haney quietly returned to Outdoor Voices a year ago. But she’s announcing her return this week in conjunction with the brand’s relaunch. Today, the website comes back online with a new collection of clothes thoughtfully designed to appeal both to the brand’s original millennial audience, but also to Gen Z. The products will be exclusively available to the TYB community, but will be shoppable to the wider public on August 5. “We want to reactivate the original millennial loyalists,” Haney says. “But we’re introducing the ‘Doing Things’ philosophy to the next generation. The collection is boldly fashion-forward and fits into your lifestyle. I’m seeing Gen Z mixing in vintage and natural materials into their looks.” I sat down with Haney to discuss why so many female founders came under attack, and how she plans to run Outdoor Voices differently this time around. Looking back, why do you think so many female founders left their businesses? What do you make of the narrative of “the fall of the girlboss”? There were a lot of dynamics at play. Firstly, the direct-to-consumer venture-funded model wasn’t a home run success. All of these sexy businesses and founders got a lot of capitalin my case, when I was quite young. The expectations to grow were massive. We were growing, but we were not a technology business. When you get inventory involved, growth becomes very challenging. But challenges in business are normal. You face a hundred of them a day. It was unfortunate that the culture at the time was to take down women who had a lot of success. What I’m most concerned about is the effects these massive takedowns of female founders have had on women’s appetite to start their own businesses, raise money, and go for big things. Right now, I want to model that a female founder can return. And that women should want to build big companies. [Photo: Outdoor Voices] As I’ve written before, many of the female founders who were the face of their brands experienced the most misogyny. And female founders who were behind the scenes often avoided the worst of these attacks. Unfortunately, I think this has made many women in business more camera-shy. How do you feel now, coming back? It’s still very important for me to own the message. Even for this relaunch, there’s a video in which I’m narrating and breaking the news. In my experience, using PR and social media to amplify the story has been very helpful. And I’ve learned that it is important for me to be the first to speak. I’m not first-time founder anymore. When I was 23, I was scared of allegations and articles that would end my career, or my life as I knew it. I keep coming back to the fact that this is par for the course if you’re going to build a business in the public eye. I want to show that you can get through negative press. There are always going to be mistakes and unfortunate incidents in business, but we can solve them. That’s what I care about most. Given how traumatic it was to leave the company, why did you choose to come back? Why not launch something entirely new? I’m irrationally optimistic. It’s almost like childbirth; you kind of forget the bad things. I am very grateful for that first chapter. When I look back, I feel like 90% of building Outdoor Voices was awesome, and 10% was hard. But that’s life. But also, there is still a lot of brand equity with Outdoor Voices. There’s an emotional connection to Outdoor Voices because of its mission, which is to move. We have a strong foundation, so I am eager to see how we can reactivate that. [Photo: Outdoor Voices] With this new chapter of Outdoor Voices, you’re integrating your other companiesJoggy and Try Your Best. Were you surprised that Consortium was so eager for you to bring all these businesses together? All of these companies are synergistic. TYB has more than 200 of the top consumer brands on the platform. The tool is really working to help brands engage with their community and make them more valuable over time. So it’s a tool that was made for Outdoor Voices in many ways. And for Joggy, it has a similar mission to maximize happiness through movement. So having a can in hand while you’re “doing things” just makes sense. It’s not that deep, but you’ll see how the brands continue to work together. I think it’s very meaningful that Consortium really sees me, and came to me first. I believe in my ability to set a vision and execute against it. Being here feels right, and I think it’s a recipe for success.
Category:
E-Commerce
Zohran Mamdanis victory in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary is sending shockwaves through the real estate market. But even though the 33-year-old won at the polls, some influential New Yorkers aren’t sold on his democratic socialist policiesincluding a promise to freeze rents. The mayoral candidate campaigned on a promise to immediately freeze the rent for all 2 million-plus New Yorkers living in rent-stabilized apartments, and to triple the citys stock of affordable housing by constructing 200,000 new units over the next 10 years. That plan is certainly ruffling some feathers. Mamdani’s mayoral primary victory in June was followed by a one-day sell-off in shares of companies with significant exposure to the New York real estate market, as well as threats of a mass exodus by some of the citys wealthiest denizens. Such policies might sound attractive (and clearly appealed to voters), but there are those in the real estate industry who are skeptical. In particular, some experts caution that while Mamdani is well-intentioned, he may be naive about the realities of New Yorks housing situation. And even if a rent freeze could be enacted rather quickly, it takes many years to get an adequate supply of new housing on the market. The concern among the real estate community is that while a rent freeze might provide short-term relief for tenants, it also risks raising market rents and causing long-term damage to building maintenance, rental supply, and investment interest, John Walkup, cofounder of New York-based UrbanDigs, tells Fast Company, noting that a rent freeze could accelerate the bifurcation between rental rates for regulated versus market-rate housing. According to Walkup, if landlords with mixed portfolios of housing units aggressively increase the rents for market-rate apartments to offset the losses for regulated units, the people who ultimately stand to pay the price of well-intentioned policies are other renters. And there are other potential consequences: Landlords could defer maintenance or upgrades, while there might be a rise in warehoused units that landlords intentionally keep off the market. (Mamdanis campaign did not respond to several requests to offer comment on the arguments described in this story.) Maintenance woes Landlords of smaller properties are going to face the most challenges, argues Peter Bafitis, managing principal at RKTB Architects in New York. Many buildings with subsidized and rent-stabilized housing are older, and older buildings typically require more maintenance. Meanwhile, Bafitis says, the cost of materials and labor have skyrocketed in recent years. These owners are struggling to keep up with regular building maintenance and needed repairs, he says. Whats been happening is that these smaller landlords have not been renovating apartments and theyre letting them be vacant because the finances dont make sense. These landlords rely on moderate rent increases to maintain their buildings, Bafitis says, noting that if thats taken off the tableand theres no commensurate relief for landlords, say in the form of reduced taxes or utilities coststhey will face a legitimate burden that will ultimately affect renters. Supply issues Like Walkup, Bafitis says any holistic solution to New Yorks housing problem must address supply: If you only deal with one side of the equation, its not going to work. The construction of regulated housing depends on private investment, but a rent freeze could deter outside investments in buildings that are often valued based on potential rent increases, Walkup says, noting that if theres no carrot for investorsbe it in the form of rent increases, subsidies, or tax incentivesthey could find it less appealing to invest in regulated buildings and more attractive to invest in market-rate buildings instead. Because of the public-private partnership thats required to build this type of housing, if elected, Mamdani would have to find a way to partner with the private sector. There has to be something in it for them, thats the only way for it to work, Bafitis says. And even with partners on board, there are logistical hurdles to overcome. Building a large supply of new houses quickly? Fuggedaboudit, Bafitis says. “Not in New York City.” Thats a reality he deals with on a daily basis as an architect. Whereas it once took one to three years to bring a small-scale project to completion, the timeline has now stretched to more like five to seven years. Its just because of the red tape, he says. Its mind-boggling. Finding middle ground While both Walkup and Bafitis commend Mamdani for focusing his campaign on issues of housing affordability, they say a holistic solution is necessary to truly address this problem. And, to be fair, there are a lot of ifs to be sorted out between now, the general election in November, and Mamdani potentially taking office. Like many politicians before him, Mamdani, if elected mayor, may walk back some of the promises he made as a candidate. While a rent freeze is a great slogan, Mamdani would have to be a consensus-builder as mayor and find ways to work with the various well-entrenched forces in the industry, Bafitis says, adding, Housing is an incredibly complicated business in New York. Finally, all the bluster this month about Mamdanis potential impact on the housing market might be a bit much, particularly with more than three months until the general electionand plenty of time for him to refine his agenda. Usually, the initial reaction is a knee jerk that leans in the direction of the worst-case scenario, Walkup says.
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E-Commerce
Sextech has always operated without the safety nets most industries take for granted, and because of this, entrepreneurs in the space have become experts at navigating structural barriers. Whether in the face of ad bans, payment processor restrictions, social taboos, regulatory gray areas, or even economic downturns, sexual wellness brands have continued to innovate and expand the market, which was estimated at $42.6 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach $82 billion by 2030. But in 2025, with President Trumps ongoing trade war with China creating economic whiplash, sextech brands are scrambling to adapt. Its incredibly difficult to create a strategy during times of economic volatility because its impossible to predict what will happen next, says Polly Rodriguez, cofounder and CEO of sexual wellness brand Unbound, whose products are manufactured in China. Any long-term strategy is null and void. So instead, weve stayed . . . nimble, working closely with our manufacturers and freight forwarders to respond to daily changes in trade policy. Polly Rodriguez [Photo: courtesy Unbound] To help absorb the cost increases that tariffs have levied on her business, Rodriguez says shes started bundling freight costs, cutting back on packaging, and sending goods via slower carrier methods. Right now, tariffs on Chinese-made goods stand at 51%, but that could balloon to 145% if a trade deal is not reached by August 12. Either way, Rodriguez says there wont be any going back to business as usual. If the first 100 days of this administration have taught me anything, it’s to expect nothing but sheer chaos, she says. I’m not expecting any long-term stability anytime soon. [Photo: courtesy Unbound] Todays political and economic climate has become even more challenging by the global reality of manufacturing: Most of it happens overseas. An estimated 70% to 80% of the world’s sex toys are made in China. That includes the raw materials sourced from mainland China, not to mention the custom molds, which are too heavy to transport stateside. Currently, there is just nowhere else in the world that can manufacture the goods we make anywhere close to the level that China can, Rodriguez says. It does not make financial or economic sense to move our manufacturing out of China, and I think anyone worth their salt in the adult industry would agree with me. [Photo: courtesy Unbound] Still, she insists this crisis has only strengthened her relationships with suppliers. Over the last nine years, we’ve developed lasting relationships with the individuals who run these manufacturing facilities, Rodriguez says. They are an extension of our company, and there would be no Unbound without them. We share holiday greeting cards, baby and vacation photos, and look forward to visiting them every year in Shenzhen. We care not only about their businesses but about them as individuals, as our partners and friends. [Photo: courtesy Unbound] An industry under attack While founders like Rodriguez are weathering the economic turbulence, a broader conservative resurgence, particularly in the U.S., is impacting sexual wellness brands as well. Were seeing brands in this space really struggle right now, says Bryony Cole, sextech founder and global trends expert. Whether its Sephora pulling back from their sexual wellness section or investors becoming more cautious, anything tied to sexuality or bodily autonomy feels under attack right now. For an industry that was finally gaining mainstream legitimacy, breaking into national retailers and riding the tailwinds of the MeToo movement, todays cultural climate feels like a sharp reversal to the progress made over the past decade. There was this influx of optimism and innovation 10 years ago, Cole recalls. We thought female-founded brands were finally going to make it. But today, its more like were operating in the shadows, just trying to withstand the storm. And though Cole notes that sextech has never operated in a truly stable environment, the difference now is the scale and intensity of that volatility. Cole, who founded Sextech School, a pre-accelerator designed for entrepreneurs, job seekers, and investors entering the sextech market, points to a wave of diversification as founders explore digital education, alternative revenue streams, and community-based funding strategies. /p> At Sextech School, we think a lot about how to move beyond just delivering physical products, Cole says, noting that there are online programs and new verticals available. People are getting smarter by necessity and fostering more support for one another within our community. But lean operations are only part of the survival equation. So is faith in the long arc of cultural progress and the staying power of sexual wellness. In 1970, only 1% of women used vibrators, Rodriguez says. Today, its over 65%. That trajectory doesnt reverse just because a bunch of old white men are uncomfortable with us enjoying our bodies. Still, neither Cole nor Rodriguez is naive about what lies ahead. Cole worries that many small businesses wont survive the combined pressures of economic chaos and social regression. Its tough to predict, she says. But I always talk about through-topia, the idea that even amid dystopia and utopia, some incredible things can still emerge. . . . We just have to hold the line and keep going.
Category:
E-Commerce
Earlier this month, Microsoft confirmed that attackers had exploited a critical vulnerability in SharePoint servers. A patch had already been issued, but it failed to fully resolve the problem. Within days, sophisticated attackers found a way around the fix, compromising thousands of systems. The flaw was real. So was the patch. The breach happened anyway. Think of it like finding a crack in a dam, sealing it up, but still waking up to floodingsomehow, the water found another way through.This was a patch that didnt stick, and no one caught it in time. The SharePoint incident shows that vulnerabilities happen in every environment. What matters most is how quickly an organization detects an issue, responds to it, and contains the fallout when something goes wrong. That response involves different teams working together under pressure. Vulnerabilities are expected. Effective responses are key. Its normal for new flaws to be discovered every dayin code, in third-party dependencies, and in internal tooling. No organization can prevent every vulnerability from appearing. Whats more important is the ability to respond quickly and effectively when they emerge. In this case, a fix was assumed to be sufficient when it wasnt. The vulnerability continued to exist, but there was no immediate signal that the patch had fallen short. Whats worse is that we know researchers were able to reproduce the vulnerability by examining the difference between versions of the patch Microsoft first gave. In many companies, a fix gets logged as complete and quietly dropped. Weeks later, the same issue resurfaces because the update never made it everywhere it was needed. No alert, no second check. Everyone thought it was done. It wasnt.This points to a deeper challenge in how modern software is secured. When security updates are shipped, the job isnt over. The team responsible for the system must monitor whether the fix is effective, whether attackers are still probing it, and whether follow-up action is needed.Organizations that build and ship software must treat response as an ongoing responsibility. Where companies can improve their response The SharePoint breach shows how even fast responses can fall short if no one checks whether the fix actually worked. This applies to any organization that manages software, whether internal systems or external platforms (which is the large majority).These are technical failures, but theyre rooted in human ones: missed signals, misaligned teams, and no agreement on what still needs fixing. Here are five ways to respond more effectively: 1. Know whats still exposed Fixing a problem isnt the same as removing the risk. Teams need a clear view of which systems remain vulnerable after a patch goes out. 2. Make sure the right people see the issue Security alerts often sit in tools that developers dont use (or like to use). Engineers should be able to see and act on what needs fixing without extra steps. 3. Focus on real risk When every alert looks urgent, the ones that matter get missed. Prioritize whats actually exploitable and affects the systems you rely on. 4. Follow through after the fix An exploited vulnerability is rarely a one-time event. Teams should keep an eye on it to confirm the threat is fully contained. 5. Track how long real problems stay open Its easy to count alerts. Its more useful to track how long serious vulnerabilities take to get resolved. That shows whether your response is actually working. Shifting this mindset takes empathy. The person responsible for security should think about developers in the same way Apples product team thinks of their customers. Is the information clear? Is it delivered where they already work? Are we helping them succeed? Or, are we just giving them one more ticket in a backlog that never ends? And beyond tools, it takes trust. Teams need permission to speak up when somethings unclear, and they need clarity on who owns what. Clarity is key The SharePoint breach revealed a blind spot in how teams track, validate, and follow through on the risks they already know about. Security is failing because teams dont have the visibility to see whats still vulnerable, the clarity to focus on what matters, or the workflows to make fixes stick. Without that, speed doesnt matter, because you’re still exposed. The organizations that avoid the next breach won’t be the ones who patch the fastest. They’ll be the ones who can see the whole picture, cut through the noise, communicate effectively, and close the loop before attackers get there first.
Category:
E-Commerce
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