Taco Bell 37563 226100941 2008-07-16T20:46:32Z Mild Bill Hiccup 5202324 /* Advertising */ copyedit {{article issues|refimprove=August 2007|tooshort=June 2008}} {{Infobox_Company | | company_name = Taco Bell Corp. | company_slogan = Think outside the bun | company_logo = [[Image:Taco Bell logo.svg|center|150px|Corporate logo of Taco Bell]] | company_type = Wholly owned subsidiary | foundation = [[March 21]], [[1962]] <small>([[Downey, California]])</small> | location = [[Irvine, California]], [[United States]] | key_people = [[Glen Bell]] <small>(founder)</small><br />Greg Creed <small> (president/CEO)</small><br> | num_employees = 175,000+ | industry = [[Fast Food]] | products = [[Taco]]s, [[burrito]]s, and other [[Mexican cuisine]]-related [[fast food]] | revenue = {{profit}}$1.8 billion [[United States dollar|USD]] <small>(2005)</small> | parent = [[Yum! Brands]] | homepage = [http://www.tacobell.com tacobell.com] |}} '''Taco Bell Corp.''', a subsidiary of [[Yum! Brands, Inc.]], is a Mexican-style [[fast food restaurant]] chain based in [[Irvine, California]], [[United States]]. The restaurant has locations primarily in the [[United States]] and [[Canada]], but also operates outlets in several other markets. ==Corporate profile== === History === {{Unreferencedsection|date=May 2008}} After experimenting with alternative food items, Glen Bell opened three Taco-Tia stands between 1954 and 1955, which he later sold to his partners. He then opened the first Taco Bell in [[Downey, California]] on [[March 21]], [[1962]]. The first Taco Bell franchise was sold in 1964 and the company became [[Initial public offering|public]] in 1969. In 1978, the chain was sold to [[PepsiCo]]. The chain was spun off along with Pepsi's other [[fast food]] [[restaurant]] holdings as [[Tricon Global Restaurants]] in [[1997|October 1997]]. Tricon became [[Yum! Brands]] in May 2002. ===General operations=== [[Image:Taco Bell Headquarters Irvine.jpg|250px|thumb|left|Taco Bell's headquarters in Irvine, California]] Smaller Taco Bell outlets, offering a reduced version of the menu, appear in [[shopping mall|malls]], [[airport terminal]]s, university and military base [[dining hall]]s, [[department store]]s, [[hotel]]s, [[gas station]]s, and other locations. Some [[school lunch]] programs also offer Taco Bell items under the Taco Bell Express branding. The Taco Bell name is also used under license by [[Kraft Foods]], which offers a line of taco shells, spices, salsa, and other Mexican foods (including full meal kits) featuring the Taco Bell Home Originals name in [[supermarket]]s nationwide. [[As of 2005]], there are 5,845 Taco Bell restaurants in the [[United States of America|United States]], including 1,252 company-owned locations, 3,803 franchisees, and 790 licenses. There is a 3% drop in branches compared with 2001.<ref>[PDF]Yum! Brands. ''Worldwide System Restaurants Full-year 2005'', located at [http://www.yum.com/investors/media/units_ww.pdf http://www.yum.com/investors/media/units_ww.pdf], assessed [[13 December]] [[2006]].</ref> Internationally there are 243 locations, 201 franchisees and 42 licensees, which adds up to growth of 2% since 2001.<ref>Ibid.</ref> Over the last several years, [[Yum! Brands, Inc.]] has been co-locating its various restaurant franchises ([[KFC]], [[Long John Silver's]], [[A&W Restaurants|A&W]], and [[Pizza Hut]]). ==Results== *As of 2007 Taco Bell is the best-performing brand of [[Yum Brands]], having [[United States Dollar|USD]]1.8 billion sales for company-owned stores in the [[United States of America|United States]] (compounded annual growth rate of 6% from 2001), and sales of USD4.4 billion for franchisees and licensees in the United States (compounded annual growth rate of 3% from 1999). Taco Bell also has the largest sales per [[system unit]] in Yum!, having USD 1.17 million sales per system unit, excluding licensees.<ref>[PDF] Yum!Brands 2007 Annual report.</ref> ===Co-branding=== [[Image:Tacobellkfcrestaurants.jpg|thumb|right|200px|A Co-branded Taco Bell and KFC]] Many Taco Bell Express brand outlets can be found in [[suburban]] [[strip mall]]s, often adjacent to other Yum!-brand eateries, most notably [[Pizza Hut]], [[Kentucky Fried Chicken]] or [[Long John Silvers]]. ===Lawsuit=== A lawsuit filed in 1998 by [[Joseph Shields]] and [[Thomas Rinks]] alleged Taco Bell failed to pay them for use of the Chihuahua character they created. The men alleged that Taco Bell had breached payment on a contract after they worked with the restaurant chain for a year to develop the talking Chihuahua for use in marketing. The talking Chihuahua became a hit with the first advertisement, in which the character bypasses a female Chihuahua for a Taco Bell taco and declares: "Yo quiero Taco Bell." The two men received $30.1 million, plus an addition of $11.4 million in interest.<ref>[http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2003-06-04-taco-bell-lawsuit_x.htm USATODAY.com - Chihuahua idea men win Taco Bell suit<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Taco Bell said it would appeal the verdict. ===Acquisitions=== *In 1984, Taco Bell acquired [[Pup 'N' Taco]]. *In 1986, Taco Bell acquired the Faux-Mex [[Chain store|restaurant chain]] known as [[Zantigo]], known for their Chilito, a chili-cheese burrito. The Chilito was added to the Taco Bell menu. The name was later quietly changed to ''Chili Cheese Burrito'' after comedian [[Paul Rodriguez]] pointed out the negative connotations of the word ''chilito'' (a slang word for [[penis]]) in [[Mexican Spanish|Mexican Spanish dialect]].{{Fact|date=September 2007}} <!-- citation was [http://www.karolczak.com/blog/archives/2006/03/zantigo_a_blast_from_my_past.php] : blog has moved and new version doesn't have this --> ===Border Bell=== In 1997, PepsiCo experimented with a new "fresh grill" concept, opening at least one Border Bell restaurant in [[Mountain View, California]] on El Camino Real ([[California State Route 82|SR 82]]). In addition to a subset of the regular Taco Bell menu, Border Bell offered Mexican-inspired items like those available from [[Chevys Fresh Mex]] restaurants (then owned by PepsiCo), such as Chevys signature sweet corn [[tamalito]] pudding and a fresh salsa bar.<ref>[http://www.flickr.com/photos/imipolex/557747612/ Image of promotional Border Bell menu]</ref> Close to the time that PepsiCo spun off its restaurant business in 1997, the Border Bell in Mountain View was closed and converted to a Taco Bell restaurant, which is still open as of 2008. ==Products== [[Image:Former_Taco_Bell_Logo.png|220px|thumb|Taco Bell logo used from 1985 to 1994]]‎ ===Taco Bell menu=== * [[Taco]]s * [[Burrito]]s * [[Gordita]]s * [[Chalupa]]s * [[Nacho]]s * [[Quesadilla]]s * [[Taquito]]s * [[Mexican pizza]] Taco Bell's dessert options include the [[Caramel apple|Caramel Apple]] [[Empanada]] and [[Cinnamon Twists]]. Sides include nachos, pintos and cheese, and a cup of rice which used to come with a double portion of rice, [[red sauce]], cheese, and formerly [[green onion]], though this ingredient is no longer carried after an [[2006 North American E. coli outbreak|''E. coli'' scare]]. As of 2008, Taco Bell has removed the red sauce and cheese from the sides of rice. ===Big Bell Value menu=== In the late-1980s, Taco Bell commonly advertised its "59, 79, 99" pricing plan, in which nearly everything on the menu was either 59¢, 79¢, or 99¢. [[Image:crunch.jpg|thumb|Taco Bell's Crunchwrap Supreme]] Despite Taco Bell's relatively cheap per-item pricing, it never had a true value menu until the mid-2000s. The menu features several items generally priced below $2.00. The introduction of the value menu also brought new items to the restaurant's offerings, notably items made with potatoes and Taco Bell's third dessert, the Caramel Apple Empanada. (Cinnamon Crispas, triangular fried flour tortilla shells, were offered until being replaced by Cinnamon Twists.) The Cheesy Bean and Rice Burrito recently replaced the Bean Burrito Especial, which was removed because of its small [[profit margin]]. However, the Bean Burrito Especial is still on The Big Bell Value Menu in some markets in the western markets in addition to the Cheesy Bean and Rice Burrito. Also of note is that half of the menu is not truly new, as Beef Combo Burritos, Cheesy Bean and Rice Burritos, Double Decker Tacos, and both Spicy Chicken items had been on the regular menu before, as permanent or limited time only items. The Big Bell Value Menu (usually) includes: *Grande Soft Taco: two 6" tortillas with nacho cheese in between, a double portion of beef, then lettuce and cheese *Double Decker Taco: beans on a 6" tortilla wrapped around a crunchy taco with beef, lettuce, and cheese *Cheesy Bean and Rice Burrito: beans, rice, nacho cheese, 3-cheese blend, jalapeño sauce, and fiesta salsa *Beef Combo Burrito: beans, a double portion of beef, red sauce, cheese, and onion *Beef & Potato Burrito: beef, red sauce, potatoes, and sour cream *Spicy Chicken Burrito: spicy chicken, rice, creamy jalapeño sauce, and fiesta salsa *Spicy Chicken Soft Taco: spicy chicken (1.5 oz), lettuce (.5 oz), fiesta salsa (.5 oz.) *Cheesy Fiesta Potatoes: warm nacho cheese, cool sour cream, golden fried potatoes *Caramel Apple Empanada: warm caramel sauce and apple chunks ===Why Pay More Value Menu=== In May 2008, a new value meal called Why Pay More Value Menu debuted. This new value menu contains some of the items from the previous value menu as well as several new ones. <ref>[http://www.chainleader.com/article/CA6561211.html|Taco Bell Gives Consumers More Variety for Less Money with New 79-89-99 Why Pay More Value Menu (Press Release)]</ref> The menu setup is as follows: 79¢ Items: * Melted Three Cheese Rollup (New): flour tortilla with a blend of three cheeses * Triple Layer Nachos (New): nacho chips with Taco Bell's Red Sauce, beans and nacho cheese sauce * Cinnamon Twists 89¢ Items: * Crunchy Taco * Soft Taco * Cheesy Double Beef Burrito (New): flour tortilla with two portions of beef, Mexican rice and nacho cheese sauce 99¢ Items: * Big Taste Taco (New): flour tortilla with beef, lettuce, crunchy Red Strips, cheddar cheese and Creamy Jalapeno Sauce * Bean Burrito * 1/2 lb. Cheesy Bean and Rice Burrito * Caramel Apple Empanada === Frutista Freeze === In May of 2008, a new frozen drink called Frutista Freeze debuted. The two flavors are Mango Strawberry and Strawberry; both are topped with a strawberry topping. ===Promotional/discontinued items=== [[Image:TacoBellWausau.JPG|right|thumb|200px|Taco Bell's original restaurant design with their first logo sign.]] {{Unreferencedsection|date=May 2008}} * 7-Layer Crunchwrap (still available in some locations) * Bacon Cheeseburger Burrito * Bacon Cheeseburger Taco Supreme * The Bell-Beefer - a taco like hamburger with a hamburger bun, taco meat, cheese, tomato, and lettuce. * BLT Chicken Soft Taco * Border Ices - Tropical flavored ice pops * The Cheesarito * The Cheesy Beefy Melt * Cheesy Gordita Crunch (still available in some locations) * Chicken Caesar Grilled Stuft Burrito * Chicken and Steak Grilled Taquitos (now on permanent menu) * Chicken Enchilada Grilled Stuft Burrito * Chicken Fajita Burrito * Chili Cheese Nachos Bellgrande * Club Chalupa (first released in 2004, currently on a second run in spring of 2008. Now labeled as the "Bacon Club Chalupa" however the ingredients are the same. * Crunchwrap Supreme (now on permanent menu) * [[Enchirito]] (now on permanent menu -- had been discontinued for years and brought back recently, albeit with a slightly different preparation) * Extreme Cheese and Beef Quesadilla * [[Good Humor]]'s [[Choco Taco]] was also offered for a short while * Grande Quesadilla * Nacho Crunch Grilled Stuft Burrito * Taco Bellgrande * Ultimate Chalupa - Chalupa with chicken or steak, sour cream, lettuce, guacamole, 3 cheese blend, and fiesta salsa * Volcano Burrito (a special promotion in conjunction with the 1995 film ''[[Congo (film)|Congo]]'') * Zesty Nachos In 1991, Taco Bell launched a Fiesta menu which had smaller sized versions of four their popular menu items: the taco, soft taco, bean burrito and tostada. Each item was approximately 40% smaller than the normal versions and cost $.39 each. In the early-1990s, Taco Bell changed its menu due to pressure concerning the nutritional value of items labeled "Lite". It was believed the term ''lite'' was vague or possibly deceptive. Many items were dropped entirely from the menu, such as the "Taco Lite", a [[frying|fried]] flour [[tortilla]] shell with lean [[beef]], [[Diet food|fat free]] [[sour cream]], [[lettuce]], reduced fat [[cheese]], and [[tomatoes]]. Some items were altered to change the nutritional values, such as the removal of [[black olives]] from the list of ingredients, in an effort to reduce sodium. [[Image:Tacobellsunnyvale.jpg|240px|thumb|left|Taco Bell's current restaurant design]] In early 1994, Taco Bell transformed the familiar rainbow logo, in favor of a simpler pink/purple combo logo in an effort to revitalize their almost 20 year old logo. This was done after a movie placement tie-in with ''[[Demolition Man (film)|Demolition Man]]''. In the sci-fi story Taco Bell is the only remaining restaurant chain in the world. The Taco Bell is portrayed in the futuristic purple/pink design. ===Reduction of trans fats=== As of April, 2007, Taco Bell has switched to zero [[trans fat]] per serving frying oil in all of its US single-branded locations.<ref>[http://www.yum.com/nutrition/menu.asp?brandID_Abbr=5_TB TB Nutrition Calculator<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> This has greatly reduced the levels of trans fats in most Taco Bell menu items, but they are still not completely free of trans fats. ==="Fresco style"=== In 2003, Taco Bell launched the "fresco style" menu. <ref>[http://www.hispanicprwire.com/news.php?l=in&id=1481&cha=4 Hispanic PR Wire - Taco Bell 'Fresco Style' Cuts the Fat, Not the Flavor; Company Announces New Option for Health-Conscious Consumers<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> By ordering something fresco style, the item's cheese and/or sauce is replaced by the chain's fiesta salsa. Using this option cuts the fat in the product in half in some cases. <ref>[http://www.dottisweightlosszone.com/Restaurants/tacobell.html Taco Bell<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> In 2008, Taco Bell launched an entire Fresco menu. ==Advertising== In 1995, [[Shaquille O'Neal]] and [[Hakeem Olajuwon]] appeared in a series of commercials promoting the Double Decker Taco, which would become a permanent menu item. On [[April 1]], [[1996]], Taco Bell took out a full-page advertisement in ''[[The New York Times]]'' announcing that they had purchased the [[Liberty Bell]] to "reduce the country's debt" and renamed it to "the [[Taco Liberty Bell]]." Thousands of people who did not immediately understand the press release as an [[April Fool's Day]] [[hoax]] protested. In March of 2001, Taco Bell announced a promotion to coincide with the re-entry of the [[Mir space station]]. They towed a large target out into the Pacific Ocean, announcing that if the target was hit by a falling piece of Mir, every person in the United States would be entitled to a free Taco Bell taco. The company bought a sizable insurance policy for this "gamble."<ref>[http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=4152 Taco Bell press release] [[March 19]], [[2001]]</ref> No piece of the station struck the target. In 2003, [[Costa Rican]] Taco Bell franchises temporarily marketed their tacos as "Tacos ticos", because for Costa Ricans, the word "taco" refers to what is known in [[Mexico]] as a [[flauta]]. ("Tico" is a colloquial term for natives of Costa Rica.){{fact|date=July 2008|See discussion page [Glane23]}} In 2004, a local Taco Bell franchisee bought the [[naming rights]] to the former Boise State Pavilion in [[Boise]], [[Idaho]] and renamed the stadium the [[Taco Bell Arena]]. [http://www.sde.state.id.us/webdocs/DailyEdNews/2004%20July-Dec%20Archive/04-10-26_Tuesday.htm] In the summer of 2004, PepsiCo and Taco Bell introduced [[Mountain Dew Baja Blast]]. The tropical-lime flavored drink is exclusive to Taco Bell stores. Along with this, Taco Bell introduced its [[Mountain Dew]] "Viva Variety!" promotional campaign, where the advertising on the soft drink fountain shows three cups of Mountain Dew&mdash;one regular, one Code Red and one Baja Blast. In 2007 Taco Bell offered the "Steal a Base, Steal a Taco" promotion&mdash;if any player from either team stole a base in the 2007 [[World Series]] the company would give away free tacos to everyone in America in a campaign similar to the Mir promotion.<ref>[http://www.forbes.com/2007/10/29/taco-bell-baseball-face-markets-cx_mr_1029autofacescan02.html Taco Bell's Big Enchilada - Forbes.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> After Jacoby Ellsbury of the Boston Red Sox stole a base, the company paid out this promotion on October 30, 2007. Added to the official menu in early 2007, the Grilled Taquito is Taco Bell's latest permanent product. Some of their most recent "limited time only" items have included the Ultimate [[Chalupa]] (chalupa with chicken or steak, sour cream, lettuce, [[guacamole]], three-cheese blend, and fiesta salsa), and the Nacho Crunch Grilled Stuft [[Burrito]]. A commercial in May 2008 features two men at the speaker in the Taco Bell drive-thru, for the 89-cent burrito promo. They start rapping about the burrito to an employee named Stephanie. In response to the popular commercial, some people actually went to Taco Bells and did the rap.{{Fact|date=June 2008}} After each [[Portland Trail Blazers]] home game held at the [[Rose Garden Arena]] in which the [[Portland Trailblazers|Blazers]] scored at least 100 points, everyone that attended the game would receive a coupon for a free chalupa from Taco Bell. This tradition started sometime before 2003. ===Promotional partners=== {{col-begin}} {{col-2}} ;[[20th Century Fox]] * [[the X-Files (film)|X-Files]] (1998) * [[Casper Meets Wendy]] (1998) * [[Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace]] (1999) * [[Digimon: The Movie]] (2000) * [[Planet of the Apes]] (2001) * [[Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones]] (2002) ;[[Disney]]/[[Pixar]]/[[Hollywood Pictures]] * [[Oliver & Company]] (1988) * [[D3: The Mighty Ducks]] (1996) * [[Kazaam]] (1996) * [[Gone in Sixty Seconds (2000 film)|Gone in Sixty Seconds]] (2000) ;[[Mattel]] * [[Barbie]] (1991) * [[Vertibird]] (1994) ;[[Paramount]] * [[Popeye (film)|Popeye]] (1980) * [[Pee-wee's Big Adventure]] (1985) * [[Mission: Impossible (film)|Mission: Impossible]] (1996) * [[Lara Croft: Tomb Raider]] (2001) {{col-2}} ;[[Sony Pictures]] * [[Ghostbusters]] (1984) * [[The Care Bears Movie]] (1989) * [[The Karate Kid, Part II]] (1986) * [[Ghostbusters II]] (1989) * [[Godzilla (1998 film)|Godzilla]] (1998) * [[The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland]] (1999) * [[Stuart Little]] (1999) * [[Charlie's Angels (film)|Charlie's Angels]] (2000) * [[Stuart Little 2]] (2002) ;[[Universal Studios]] * [[Hulk (film)|Hulk]] (2003) ;[[Warner Bros.]] * Batman (1989) * [[Demolition Man (film)|Demolition Man]] (1993) (International markets only) * [[Jack Frost]] (1998) ;Others * [[The Real Ghostbusters]] (1986) * [[Attack of the Killer Tomatoes: The Animated Series]] (1990) * [[Barney & Friends]] (1993) * [[Animaniacs]] (1994) * [[The Magic School Bus]] (1995) * [[Spawn (film)|Spawn]] (1997) * [[Rescue Heroes]] (1999) * [[Medabots]] (2001) * [[Voyage of the Unicorn]] (2001) {{col-end}} ===Slogans=== {{Unreferencedsection|date=May 2008}} *Taca-taca-taca-taca-taca-taca Taco Bell! (1974-1983) *Ooh! What a difference Taco Bell makes! (1977-1980) *Make a run for the border. *Nothing ordinary about it. *The Cure for the Common Meal. *It's Deliciously Different. (1980-1983) *Just Made for You. (1983-1987) *Hello Taco Bell! (1987-1997) *Cross the Border. (1989-1994) *Fetch that food! ''DONG! [imitates bell ringing]'' *You can munch it! So good! *Taste that food! (bell sound) *Change Is Good. *Want some? (1996-1999) *Yo quiero [I want] Taco Bell. (1996-1997) *Zesty! *Spice Up The Night. (For Taco Bell's late night day part) (1999-2001) *Good To Go (Paired with various Crunchwrap promotions) (2000-2005) *Fourthmeal (Term developed to help promote Late Night day part. Fourthmeal is the fourth meal of the day eaten late at night. In other words, any Taco Bell food eaten after dinner and before breakfast.) *I'm Full! (For the ''Big Bell Value Menu'') *Opportunity doesn't knock, it rings a bell (For employment brochure inside Taco Bell) *Think outside the bun. (2001-present) *You Need Fourthmeal. *Feed the beast (also used by rival [[Del Taco]]{{Fact|date=September 2007}}) ===Mascots=== Taco Bell has not had many mascots to this date. In 1995, they introduced two mascots to promote the Taco Bell kids' meal, the [[The Ren and Stimpy Show|Ren and Stimpy-esque]] Nacho and Dog. Nacho is a crazy cat who gets all his knowledge of the world by watching [[television]] and is obsessed with [[Mexican food]]. Dog is a dog who is more well-behaved than Nacho and gets all his knowledge of the world by reading books. They were dropped in mid-1997. In September 1997, the [[Taco Bell chihuahua]] was introduced. He spoke the line in commercials for their wildly popular "Yo quiero Taco Bell" campaign. In the [[Spanish language]], ''yo quiero'' means ''I want'' . The little dog's [[Pseudonym|real name]] was "[[Taco Bell chihuahua|Gidget]]", but that was never publicized in the [[Advertising campaign|ad campaign]]. The character was [[Voice actor|voiced]] by [[comedian]], and cartoon voice-over artist, [[Carlos Alazraqui]] of ''[[Reno 911!]]'' and ''[[Rocko's Modern Life]]''. By 1998, the [[Taco Bell chihuahua]] was known as the biggest commercial star on the planet, but his popularity dropped significantly by 2000. As of the early-2000s, Taco Bell has gone away from the chihuahua and instead has promoted its [[Value Menu|value menu]] through "I'm Full!!" commercials and used "Think outside the bun" as its slogan. Gidget did, however, make a cameo in a 2002 [[Geico]] commercial where he met Geico's spokes-gecko. That commercial continued to air through 2004. In the early 2000s, Taco Bell's [[hot sauce]] packets (Mild, Hot, and Fire) got a major makeover. The restaurant decided to implement a scheme that would make the condiments a [[conversation piece]]; quotes change regularly, and Taco Bell has created a contest to have patrons enter their ideas.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tacobell.com/ourcompany/press/2004_05_19.htm |title=Taco Bell Press|accessdate=2007-05-03 }}</ref> ==Global locations== ;Australia Taco Bell's Australian franchise launched circa 1999 with a handful of stores in [[Sydney]]. There were also outlets in shopping centre [[food court]]s, "piggybacking" off existing [[KFC]] or [[Pizza Hut]] shopfronts. The venture only had moderate success, and eventually some standalone Taco Bell restaurants were 'split' to offer KFC as well. The Taco Bell dog was used in commercials with promotions such as 99 cent tacos used to encourage customers to try the chain. However, Sydneysiders never really warmed to the concept of Mexican fast food and Taco Bell disappeared in December 2003. Former Taco Bell sites were rebranded as KFC or Pizza Hut. ;China [[Image:Taco Bell-China-Logo.png|200px|thumb|right|Taco Bell Grande's Logo]]In 2003, [[Yum! Brands]] introduced the Taco Bell brand into [[People's Republic of China]]. [[China|The Chinese]] Taco Bell restaurants are not fast-food restaurants like other Taco Bell restaurants are. Instead, they are full-service restaurants called '''Taco Bell Grande''' that are more analogous to a Mexican grill in the [[United States]]. In addition to the usual taco and burritos, Taco Bell Grande also serves other Mexican cuisine like [[albóndigas]] (meatball soup), [[tomatillo]] [[Chicken|grilled chicken]], [[fajita]]s, and [[Alcoholic beverage|alcoholic drinks]] such as [[Margarita]]s. Currently the chain has three restaurants in China, two in [[Shenzhen]] and one in [[Shanghai]]. {{clear}} ;Canada In [[Canada]], Taco Bell locations are quite common. The menu varies only slightly from the American counterpart. Most notably, Canadian locations sell [[French fries]]. The [[Fries Supreme]], French fries topped with ground beef, cheese, sour cream, and green onions is one of the more popular side-orders. ;United Kingdom Currently, there are only two Taco Bell locations in England, both operated by [[AAFES]] on air bases [[RAF Mildenhall]] and [[RAF Lakenheath]], they are not accessible to the general public. The [[United Kingdom]] was the first European country with a Taco Bell, two stores including one located on [[Coventry Street]] in [[London]], between [[Leicester Square]] and [[Piccadilly Circus]] were opened in the 1980s. The stores underperformed and were shut down, today the Coventry Street site is occupied by a branch of the sit-down restaurant chain [[TGI Friday's]]. In the 1990s the university food provider [[Compass Group|Compass New Famous Foods]] announced plans to open stores in its [[university]] and [[college]] sites, only one store was opened in [[Birmingham University]] in 1994, no other stores were opened and the Birmingham site is now closed.<ref>[http://www.caterersearch.com/Articles/2001/07/26/26065/yankee-retreat.html Yankee retreat - 26 July 2001 - CatererSearch<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.caterersearch.com/Articles/1994/09/29/7345/compass-pilots-taco-bell-unit.html Compass pilots Taco Bell unit - 29 September 1994 - CatererSearch<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> There has been speculation that Taco Bell could return to the UK because of the success of supermarket brands like [[Old El Paso]], growing tourism travel to [[Mexico]] and [[Florida]] and popular American TV shows which promote Mexican food.<ref>[http://www.caterersearch.com/Articles/2001/07/26/26065/yankee-retreat.html Yankee retreat - 26 July 2001 - CatererSearch<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> ;Germany Currently, there are no public Taco Bell locations in major German cities. AAFES does operate several locations at major US bases in southern Germany. These secure locations are located at: Ramstein Air Base near Kaiserslautern, Mannheim Gartenstadt, Heidelberg Shopping Center, Schweinfurt Ledward Barracks, Grafenwöhr PX Complex/Shopping Center, Baumholder and Wiesbaden Hainerberg. After 9/11, access for non-military customers was severely restricted.<ref>[http://www.fastfoodkids.de/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=24]</ref> ;Iceland [[Iceland]] is currently the only country in Europe to have publicly accessible Taco Bell. It is operated as a part of [[KFC]] establishment in [[Hafnarfjörður]], suburb of [[Reykjavík]]. It was established in late 2006, after the departure of US Navy from [[Naval Air Station Keflavik]]. ;Japan Taco Bell is located on most Joint Japan/US Naval Bases like [[NAF Atsugi]], [[U.S. Fleet Activities Sasebo]], and [[U.S. Fleet Activities Yokosuka|Yokosuka Naval Base]]. On Okinawa alone, there are 4 Taco Bell locations. One is at [[Kadena Air Base]] with the [[US Air Force]]. The remaining three are located with the [[US Marine Corps]] at [[Camp Foster]], [[Camp Schwab]], and [[Camp Hansen]]. Taco Bell Express, a smaller food-court variant, is also found at [[Misawa Air Base]] and [[Yokota Air Base]]. As with the other international locations on Military bases, access to the general public is restricted. Only Military personnel, dependents, and Contract personnel both DoD and Civilian and their authorized guests have access to them. ;Mexico After a failed attempt to enter the market in 1992 that finished with all the restaurants closing 2 years later, in September 2007 Taco Bell returned to the country. The first restaurant in the northern city of [[Monterrey]] is part of a plan to open between 8 and 10 more locations in 2008 and eventually reach 300 stores.<ref>"http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9e0ce1dc123ff936a35755c0a964958260"</ref><ref>[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21209104/ Taco Bell makes a run across the border - Food Inc. - MSNBC.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> ;Philippines In 2004, Taco Bell opened three restaurants in [[Manila]], [[Philippines]]. ;Singapore Currently there are a few [[KFC]] outlets in Singapore that also sell Taco Bell meals, for example, the Hougang KFC Taco Bell outlet in Heartland Mall, Hougang South, beside [[Kovan MRT Station]] along Upper Serangoon Road. There is also the new 3-in-1 freedom of choice outlets, serving Pizza Hut/Taco Bell/KFC such as the branch in [[Funan DigitaLife Mall]] on North Bridge Road. However there are no restaurants selling only Taco Bell merchandise. ;South Korea There is a Taco Bell located on [[Yongsan Garrison]] in Seoul, Korea for use of on-base personnel. ==Controversies== In 2000, it was discovered that Taco Bell used corn that was not approved for human consumption in at least some of its taco shells [http://archives.cnn.com/2000/FOOD/news/09/18/biotech.corn.reut/index.html]. In 2007, a Taco Bell/KFC store in Manhattan was overrun by rats [http://money.cnn.com/2007/02/23/news/companies/taco_bell/]. ==See also== *[[Priszm]] *[[Taco Bell chihuahua]] *[[Enchirito]] ==References== {{reflist|2}} ==External links== {{Commons |Category:Taco Bell |Taco Bell}} *[http://www.tacobell.com Official site]. *[http://www.tacobell.ca Canadian website]. *{{Zh icon}} [http://www.tacobell.com.cn Taco Bell Grande] * {{Is icon}} [http://www.tacobell.is/ Icelandic Website] *[http://www.tacobellking.com Taco Bell King, N.C. Website] *[http://www.newsday.com/features/food/ny-bzdama065004571dec06,0,4605860.story?coll=ny-foodday-print Lessons In Taco Bell Trouble Newsday.com] *[http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-licoli1208,0,6765331.story?coll=ny-sports-columnists Family Files Suit Against Taco-Bell - Newsday.com] *[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cru_m7Y1dAU Viva Gorditas! Video of the Taco Bell Chihuahua] *[http://www.forbes.com/infoimaging/feeds/ap/2006/12/07/ap3236728.html Taco-Bell Sued By Sick Boy With E-Coli - FORBES] *[http://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/2006/december/120806.htm Information from FDA] *[http://www.donateyourtaco.com DonateYourTaco.com]. {{Yum!}} [[Category:Taco Bell| ]] [[Category:Fast-food franchises]] [[Category:Fast-food chains of Canada]] [[Category:Fast-food chains of the United States]] [[Category:Restaurants in Orange County, California]] [[Category:Fast-food Mexican restaurants]] [[Category:Retail companies established in 1962]] [[Category:Companies based in Irvine, California]] [[de:Taco Bell]] [[es:Taco Bell]] [[fr:Taco Bell]] [[ko:타코 벨]] [[id:Taco Bell]] [[it:Taco Bell]] [[he:טאקו בל]] [[hu:Taco Bell]] [[nl:Taco Bell]] [[ja:Taco Bell]] [[no:Taco Bell]] [[pl:Taco Bell]] [[pt:Taco Bell]] [[ru:Taco Bell]] [[simple:Taco Bell]] [[sv:Taco Bell]] [[zh:塔可鐘]]