Taco Bell is a well-known chain of fast food restaurants that specializes in Americanized Mexican cuisine. Taco Bell has over 6,500 locations across the world. It is interesting that this chain, which went on to become one of the most popular in the United States, Europe, and Asia, was created by a rival of McDonald’s and that the latter was the company that gave it its name.
In order to create his own fast food restaurant, the former sailor Glen Bell was inspired by the success of the McDonald’s franchise. Therefore, in 1948, a restaurant known as Bell’s Drive-In opened its doors in San Bernardino, California, with a menu that was exactly the same as the one that the Mcdonald’s brothers had. Initially, hot dogs were the primary draw for customers.
After selling this eatery, which already featured hamburgers on the menu, Glen opened a second establishment. It was essential to differentiate oneself from well-known competitors, and so in 1952, Glen Bell made a bet on Mexican cuisine, serving dishes such as tacos, burritos, Mexican pizza, nachos, and other foods that were popular among Latin American customers. They started out as straightforward Taco Tias eateries, but with time they transformed into cheery and visually appealing fast Mexican food establishments.
In 1955, the idea of creating not regular restaurants but rather Mexican eateries under the name El Taco was first introduced. In 1962, Glen launches a new restaurant called Taco Bell after selling his previous business to partners. Bell, who is already well-versed in business, swiftly develops his network and sells to everyone a franchise. A franchise is a right to use the brand, and in exchange for this right, businesses typically pay a percentage.
The Taco Bell restaurants are an excellent example of how purchasing a franchise can be an effective method for organizing a business. Therefore, in 1975, there are 868 Taco Bell locations located in the United States, and the well-known firm PepsiCo Inc. purchased it for 125 million dollars. 1977 marked the opening of the first fast Mexican restaurant located outside of Mexico. 1981 marks the beginning of a vibrant restaurant industry in both Canada and Australia.
The number of customers who patronized Bell’s business increased in Mexico, China, Korea, Singapore, and the Philippines. The United Kingdom and Germany were the first countries in Europe to introduce Mexican fast food.
Naturally, tacos were the very first Mexican food that Bell’s restaurants started offering to their customers. Because of the positive response from customers, nachos and burritos were added to the menu almost immediately. The expansion of the assortment was the direct result of the preparation of tacos and other foods in accordance with a variety of different recipes. Beverages with a Mexican influence have been included.
It has become clear, as a result of the expansion of the TacoBell network, that a significant number of customers do not enjoy Mexican cuisine that is very scorching and spicy. However, businesspeople have taken this into account, and now each customer can decide for themselves how much pepper or salsa they wish to put on their food.
At Taco Bell, customers may purchase cupcakes in addition to a variety of beverages, small appetizers, and hot coffee. On the Taco Bell menu for breakfast, you can find items such as burritos, stuffed eggs or sausage, bacon or steak, sausage and eggs, pancakes, hot or cold coffee, and orange juice, to name a few examples.
The restaurant is continually working to enhance its menu by including novel and interesting new products in addition to those it already offers. Because of this, it is necessary to recruit staff members that possess a very high level of qualification. As a result, in the year 2012, the Doritos Locos Taco was introduced; it is a taco that is encased in a crispy Doritos chip. Within the first year, about one billion copies were distributed to customers.
