**History and Ownership Changes:**
– Founded by Glen Bell in 1948 in San Bernardino, California.
– First Taco Bell opened in 1962 in Downey, California.
– First franchisee purchased in 1964.
– PepsiCo purchased Taco Bell in 1978.
– Taco Bell spun out from PepsiCo in 1997.
– Tricon Global changed to Yum! Brands in 2002.
– CIW-Yum agreement reached in 2005.
**Expansion and Innovation:**
– First location east of the Mississippi River opened in 1968.
– Taco Bell Cantina flagship store opened in Las Vegas in 2016.
– Introduction of AI bot for ordering in 2016.
– Hot sauces made available in grocery stores in 2014.
– Continued expansion of Taco Bell Cantina locations.
– Introduction of new products in grocery stores.
**Menu Offerings and Advertising:**
– Johnny Cash starred in a Taco Bell TV commercial in 1992.
– Taco Bell introduced the Crunchwrap Supreme in 2005.
– Taco Bell launched the Doritos Locos Tacos in partnership with Frito-Lay in March 2012.
– Taco Bell sponsored promotions with the Portland Trail Blazers and Cleveland Cavaliers.
– Taco Bell collaborated with celebrity chef Lorena Garcia for the Cantina Menu.
– Taco Bell discontinued kids meals and toys in U.S. restaurants by January 2014.
**Product Innovations and Special Promotions:**
– Taco Bell released Mountain Dew A.M., a drink combining Mountain Dew and orange juice, in 2012.
– Taco Bell launched a vegetarian menu in October 2015.
– Taco Bell tested Cheetos Burritos at select locations in August 2016.
– Taco Bell introduced the Cool Ranch Doritos Taco in 2013.
– Taco Bell offered a limited-time Pink Strawberry Starburst Freeze in August 2016.
– Taco Bell discontinued kids meals and toys at U.S. restaurants by January 2014.
**Global Expansion and New Menu Items:**
– Taco Bell entered the Chinese market in 2003, closed restaurants in 2008, and relaunched in Shanghai in 2016.
– Taco Bell celebrated National Taco Day in 20 countries on September 21, 2018.
– India: First Taco Bell outlet opened in Bangalore in 2010.
– Indonesia: First restaurant opened in South Jakarta on December 18, 2020.
– Introduced Crispy Chicken Sandwich Taco in August 2021.
– Partnered with TerraCycle to recycle hot sauce packets in April 2021.
Taco Bell IP Holder, LLC, doing business as Taco Bell (stylized in all caps), is an American multinational chain of fast food restaurants founded in 1962 by Glen Bell (1923–2010) in Downey, California. Taco Bell is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. The restaurants serve a variety of Mexican-inspired foods, including tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, novelty, and speciality items, and a variety of "value menu" items. As of 2018[update], Taco Bell serves over two billion customers each year, at 7,072 restaurants, more than 93 percent of which are owned and operated by independent franchisees and licensees.
 Logo since 2016 | |
 Current headquarters at 1 Glen Bell Way in Irvine, California | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Restaurants |
| Genre | Fast-food restaurant |
| Founded | March 21, 1962 Downey, California |
| Founder | Glen Bell |
| Headquarters | 1 Glen Bell Way, Irvine, California, U.S. (2009–present) |
Number of locations | 8,218 (2022) |
Key people |
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| Products | |
| Revenue |  $1.988 billion (2015) |
| Parent |
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| Website | tacobell |
PepsiCo purchased Taco Bell in 1978, and later spun off its restaurants division as Tricon Global Restaurants, which later changed its name to Yum! Brands.