Taco Bell was founded in 1962, by Glen Bell in Downey, California, and has grown exponentially since then.
Bell’s inspiration came from looking at a long line at a Mexican restaurant across the street. When the business started, the original menu featured five items, including tacos, burritos, tostadas, frijoles and chili burgers.
I think those are all good foods, but I think there should be more than just five items on the menu.
The biggest changes for the company started in 1978, when PepsiCo bought Taco Bell from Bell.
As soon as PepiCo made the purchase, the Taco Bell business started to grow. Under PepsiCo, Taco Bell because an international brand.
In 1991, Taco Bell opened the first Taco Bell Express in San Francisco.
When Taco Bell started adding more items to its menu, the most popular foods were the chalupa supreme, the crunchwrap supreme and the chicken quesadilla.
My favorite items from Taco Bell is not any of those things, although they all sound good. Mine is actual the nacho fries.
As of 2025, Taco Bell now has more than 7,567 locations around the world and is the largest taco and burrito chain in the world.
This is a big change, especially since when they first started, their was only one restaurant in the United States. Now, all 50 states have locations of this chain.
