Taco Bell began in 1962 as a single restaurant run by Glen Bell.
By 1978 there were hundreds of franchises and the chain was sold to PepsiCo.
Executives used social media savvy and partnerships with other brands to make the chain iconic.
Taco Bell is celebrating its 60th anniversary in March, but it hasn't always been the fast-food powerhouse it is today.
Taco bell
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Before founding Taco Bell, Glen Bell was already deep in the fast-food business. In 1951 he sold hard-shelled tacos at Bell's Hamburgers and Hot Dogs, and also operated Bell's Drive In.
By the 1970s, the menu had grown to include tostadas and enchiritos, a combination of burritos and enchiladas that hinted at Taco Bell's future menu innovations.
The menu from a Taco Bell in San Anselmo in 1973.
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Locations had nearly tripled again by 1978 when Bell sold to PepsiCo for about $125 million.
Customers line up at a Taco Bell restaurant inside Miami International Airport in Miami.
In the 1980s, Taco Bell was expanding outside the West Coast and establishing its Mexican fast-food offerings as different than other burger chains, with the Taco Salad Taco BellGrande.
In 1988, the chain introduced the Mexican Pizza, which was a beloved menu item until it was discontinued in 2020, and still has dedicated fans clamoring for its return.
Taco Bell's Mexican Pizza.
Taco Bell launched its value menu in 1990 with items priced at 59, 79, and 99 cents each. Value menus became key in fast food, adopted by both Wendy's and McDonald's.
At first, "transactions went through the roof, but profitability went through the floor," CEO John Martin told The New York Times, noting a problem that would come up again and again with value menus across the industry.
The first Taco Bell Express opened in 1991 with a limited menu of cheaper options, a precursor to the mobile formats that would come later.
Staff work in the kitchen at the first Taco Bell fast-food restaurant in Japan at Tokyo's Shibuya shopping district April 21, 2015.
Taco Bell continued to develop campaigns that became cultural touchstones. In 2004 it partnered with Mountain Dew to create the Baja Blast flavor, which was initially only available at Taco Bell.
In 2012, Taco Bell partnered with Frito Lay to launch the Doritos Locos tacos. It sold over one billion tacos in that first year and hired about 15,000 additional workers to keep up with demand.
Doritos Locos tacos were a turning point for Taco Bell and marked the beginning of a new era of fast food where social media could make or break a chain's bottom line.
Then in 2014, Taco Bell launched mobile ordering and payment on its app. This was a first in fast food and has since come to dominate the industry.
One side of the drive-thru is designated for mobile orders.
Taco Bell tapped into its huge vegan and vegetarian market with a certified vegetarian menu and promoting ways to make other dishes vegan.
Taco Bell's new vegetarian menu.
Since then, Taco Bell has continued to cycle limited-time offers beloved by customers, like Nacho Fries, the Naked Chicken Chalupa, Grilled Cheese Burritos, and others.
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When the COVID-19 pandemic closed many businesses in 2020, Taco Bell thrived thanks to its established drive-thru business.
A Taco Bell employee delivers an order to a customer at the drive-up window of the restaurant on March 31, 2020.
That year, Taco Bell also announced its Go Mobile restaurant format with two lanes, one dedicated just to mobile orders, which continue to grow in the fast-food industry.
Two drive-thru lanes.
The chain remains open to further drive-thru innovations, with plans to open an unprecedented four-lane, two-story drive-thru in 2022.
Taco Bell's new concept is set to open in summer 2022.
At the end of 2021, Taco Bell had nearly 7,800 locations in 155 countries according to the most recent earnings data.
Taco Bell opening Hammersmith, London
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And 60 years after its founding, Taco Bell's embrace of social media, limited-time offerings, and new ordering technology has made it a massive success.
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