No matter how many late-night stops you make at Taco Bell, there's probably a lot you still
don't know about the fast-food chain.
"When you're hungry for a (bom-bom) Burrito Supreme!"
From how the Doritos Locos Taco was invented, to some of the chain's zaniest promotions,
these Taco Bell tidbits will have you hitting the drive-thru in no time.
"Welcome to Taco Bell, may I take your order?"
"Yeah… a Taco Bell Grande."
At some point in the 1990s, you probably saw one of those Taco Bell commercials that featured
a precious little Chihuahua named Gidget — a $500 million advertising campaign, all told.
"Yo quiero Taco Bell."
Though the commercials aired constantly, they didn't actually increase sales.
"Oooh."
In fact, it cost the company in more ways than one. In 2003, two men claimed they'd
created the concept of the Taco Bell dog, and sued the company for $42 million. Who
wouldn't want to take credit for the concept?
"Sir, don't be silly. Drop the chalupa. I said, drop the chalupa."
"Yeah, drop the chalupa."
Taco Bell eventually settled the case out of court, and Gidget passed away in 2009 at
the ripe old age of 15. Her trainer claimed the Taco Bell gig basically ruined her career,
noting that:
"She was kind of typecast, so she never really got much work after that."
That's not to say her career was completely derailed by the campaign. After all, Gidget
also starred in Legally Blonde 2 in 2003, fearlessly playing Bruiser — a brave and
challenging role for any pooch to tackle.
"All the signs were there, I just didn't see them. Most dogs like to chew your shoes. Bruiser
liked to wear mine."
Oh, and we should probably mention that Gidget also had a bit role in Beverly Hills Chihuahua.
Honestly, a lot of actors would kill for that resume.
You've heard of a bed and breakfast, so why can't the world have a Taco Bell Hotel? The
chain decided to give this zany idea a whirl, opening up The Bell: A Taco Bell Hotel and
Resort from August 8th to August 12th, 2019. Talk about thinking outside the bun.
"The California oasis of Palm Springs plays host to Taco Bell's Hotel & Resort: The Bell."
Guests who successfully nabbed a reservation got to enjoy an ever-so tony Taco Bell-themed
room.
"You'll notice that every space has been curated with unique Taco Bell touches."
The hotel — which usually operates as the V Palm Springs Resort — was decked out with
Taco Bell memorabilia, a Taco Bell gift shop, and a Taco Bell nail salon. As one excited
guest noted:
"It's everything. Like, it's Taco Bell in its whole fantasticness… Like, is that a
word? I don't know if that's a word. Heh!"
There was even a so-called "happier hour" that included Taco Bell snacks and cocktails
for guests who were 21 and older. There was also a Mountain Dew Baja Blast "Freeze Lounge"
to chill out in, "dive-in" movies in the pool, and plenty of Taco Bell items to choose from
when you ordered room service. Belinda was right — heaven is a place on Earth.
There were only 70 rooms available at the resort. When Taco Bell opened up their reservations,
they booked real fast: In fact, every room was reserved within two minutes. Basically,
in the time it takes the average couch potato to wolf down a Crunchwrap, the rooms were
already sold. Here's hoping the chain revisits the idea one day… because every Taco Bell
fanatic deserves a chance to experience The Bell. But what to wear to such an event?
"These are wrappers for the Doritos Locos Tacos…."
When Taco Bell first introduced their now-famous Doritos Locos Tacos, they had no idea it would
be such a hit.
"Mmmm, I'm thinking about a neon-orange, meat-filled miracle taco wrapped in a Nacho Cheese Dorito
shell."
In the first 70 days following the product's launch, Taco Bell sold 100 million Nacho Cheese
Doritos Locos Tacos. Clearly all the testing and prototyping paid off… not that it was
always the easiest concept to wrap one's head around:
"So yeah, they're putting Doritos in the tacos.'
The hype was frankly hard to believe:
"So Alison, can one delicious taco really save America?"
"Hahahaha, I don't know if it's gonna save America. I mean, what's the sodium content?"
Making the cheesy Doritos Locos shell took a lot of hard work. In fact, 40 different
versions were tested before they settled on the final product.
“The Taco Bell Food Innovation Team joined forces with Frito Lay, and came up with a
simple idea that would change everything."
Taco Bell wanted to make sure the shell had the signature cheesiness of a Doritos chip,
but the taco shell needed to maintain its original texture, too. You see, the texture
of a regular Doritos is too brittle and would break when stuffed with taco ingredients.
Worker safety was another hurdle. Initially, blasting the taco shells with cheesy powder
proved hazardous to employees. They'd inevitably inhale the stuff — faster than you can inhale
a Meximelt. That meant the company had to invent a totally new machine for seasoning
the shells safely.
"It's beautiful."
Well, all that hard work paid off: Over a billion Doritos Locos Tacos were sold during
its first year on the menu, and they've since become a fast-food legend.
But times change. Snacks change. Advertising trends change.
"Put a smile on our face / Tac-a-Tac-a-Taco Bell, 'yea! Everybody loves the taste!"
In 2018, the chain introduced Nacho Fries… and suddenly, Doritos Locos Tacos were no
longer the most popular item on the menu.
"This kind of deliciousness doesn't just disappear."
"Where did you go?"
"What if they were in a different space-time continuum?"
"Another…"
"Dimension?"
News outlets were quick to leap on the story.
"So it's basically just a french fry with a little bit of seasoning, and it comes with
the nacho cheese sauce you can dip it in."
There are currently 15 Taco Bell restaurants in Alaska, but it's a huge state… so if
you don't live near one of those locations, good luck getting that Chalupa.
That's why residents of the small town of Bethel, Alaska were heartbroken after falling
for a hoax in 2012. Reportedly, some diabolical trickster put up flyers around town advertising
that a new Taco Bell was opening in the area. Local residents were beside themselves when
they learned it was all a prank — until the real Taco Bell came to the rescue.
"Well, it's time somebody delivered some good news."
Taco Bell CEO Greg Creed told CNBC:
"If we can feed people in Afghanistan and Iraq, we can feed people in Bethel."
Taco Bell delivered hundreds of pounds of food by helicopter — enough for the town
to come together and indulge in 10,000 Doritos Locos Tacos.
"It wasn't an emergency, but it was a rapid response team — sort of."
In 1989, Taco Bell and Batman proved to be a match made in marketing heaven. The fast-food
chain ran a summer promotion that involved giving away free plastic Batman Collector
Cups, and the event broke records for Taco Bell's promotional tie-ins.
"Right now at Taco Bell you can collect free Batman cups. Like a free Batmobile cup."
How did it work? Easy. Customers who ordered a large drink would get one of the cups — just
like that.
"He's Batman. And Taco Bell's got him."
Thanks to the promotion, one store told the Los Angeles Times that sales were up at least
25 percent. Another location claimed they went from selling 600 large drinks a day to
1,000 large drinks a day. That's a whole lot of Mountain Dew.
To drum up excitement, Taco Bell restaurants were decorated with massive cardboard cutouts
of a certain brooding superhero. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the campaign inspired some ravenous Batman
enthusiasts to steal those cutouts. One company spokesperson told the Los Angeles Times:
"We’re hoping maybe Batman himself will show up at the stores to rescue himself from
overzealous fans." Over the years, there have been plenty of
rumors about Taco Bell's beef.
"Pretty sure you know what you're paying for when you come to Taco Bell. If you want real
beef you'd probably go somewhere else."
In the past, skeptics have claimed Taco Bell beef is made with everything from mealworms
to Grade D beef. How brutal.
"C… D… F … F … Effffffffff…”
But spoiler alert: Grade D beef doesn't even exist. But that simple fact didn't stop a
few intense lawsuits from making headlines.
"The lawsuit claimed that the meat filling used by Taco Bell was less than 35 percent
beef."
While Taco Bell's beef does come pre-cooked and in bags, the truth isn't particularly
scandalous: It's actually 88 percent beef, and the other ingredients rounding out the
recipe are all rather common.
Yes, they do use some fillers derived from oats, and the meat is blended with soy lecithin,
which is used to make sure the ingredients in beef don't separate. But all told, the
list of ingredients isn't particularly shocking.
In recent years, Taco Bell has been focusing on sourcing more of its beef from sustainable
suppliers — that is, suppliers that are working to reduce the amount of antibiotics
in their supply of beef.
Taco Bell is known for meaty items like the Chipotle Chicken Loaded Griller and the Beefy
Crunch Burrito — and these tasty snacks have earned the fast-food chain a fervent
following. If a Taco Bell burns down, you better believe there's gonna be a vigil.
"Locals mourning the loss of their beloved Taco Bell."
"Always remember Taco Bell, Zelda Road… We're just out here, giving remembrance."
"John, let's taco 'bout what's going on."
Like many fast food restaurants, the chain is looking to expand its fanbase by offering
an array of vegan and vegetarian options.
Actually, Taco Bell has always been a pretty good option in that regard: You can sub out
the meat in any menu item for beans, rice, or potatoes. And in 2019, Taco Bell made a
corporate commitment to making its menu even more friendly to vegetarians and vegans. Right
now, you can already choose "8 million vegetarian combinations" at Taco Bell. As it says on
the official website,
"That’s enough to customize a new meal every day for nearly 20,000 years."
The chain is also testing out its first official vegetarian menu — news that's really got
people talking.
Anyway, the Taco Bell website even offers a handy guide to eating vegan at the restaurant
that was created in partnership with the American Vegetarian Association. This guide will teach
you how to make some of Taco Bell's classic menu items dairy- and meat-free — including
the Crunchwrap Supreme and the soft taco. Excitement about this new development is clearly
contagious:
"Taco Bell has been offering vegetarian options since 2015, but this is the first time the
company will have the vegetarian menu highlighted in stores."
Taco Bell was founded by entrepreneur Glen Bell, whose first establishment sold hot dogs
and hamburgers. That was Bell's Drive-In, which operated out of San Bernardino, California
beginning in 1948.
Glenn eventually opened Taco Tia in 1954, where he sold hot dogs, hamburgers, and tacos.
In fact, his chili dog recipe was the inspiration for Taco Bell's original taco sauce.
"He always had a passion for Mexican food."
In a 1978 speech, Bell explained why he initially decided to operate out of San Bernardino:
"My plan for experimenting with tacos was to obtain a location in a Mexican neighborhood.
That way, if tacos were successful, potential competitors would write it off to the location
and assume that the idea wouldn't sell anywhere else."
Bell eventually realized tacos should be his focus. He opened a restaurant called El Taco,
later selling his shares and his Taco Tia locations in order to open the first Taco
Bell in 1962 in Downey, California.
At the original Taco Bell, tacos and other Mexican-American favorites were the stars
— and they sold for just 19 cents a piece. However, the restaurant kept serving burgers…
in the form of chiliburgers. The Bell Beefer was the last burger on the menu, and it was
discontinued in the '90s.
If you grew up thinking that all tacos came in a crunchy yellow shell that came out of
an Old El Paso kit, you aren't alone. But that version of the taco is a relatively new
arrival on the scene — in fact, the crunchy pre-formed taco shell was actually invented
by Taco Bell founder Glen Bell in the early '60s.
Bell was trying to figure out the best way to sell large amounts of tacos quickly, and
that's when he came up with the pre-formed crunchy taco shell. These bad boys could be
made ahead of time and kept at room temperature until needed.
This was essential, because Bell was trying to compete with McDonald's, another booming
chain that was taking off in San Bernardino, California. Thanks to pre-formed taco shells,
employees don't have to cook every single taco to order — they can just stuff the
shell and sell. It's a brilliant business strategy — that is, until employees start
licking taco shells for kicks.
“The employee in that picture is suspended and will be fired."
"It's gross. It definitely is not good, but it doesn't surprise me. I think maybe it should
help these corporations reflect on who they're hiring."
The original Taco Bell restaurant — or "Taco Bell Numero Uno," as the company calls it
— ceased operations in 1986.
However, even though the building was no longer an official Taco Bell restaurant, it was rented
out to other taquerias until 2014, when it was abandoned for good. The powers that be
at Taco Bell ultimately decided they couldn't let this piece of history get torn down.
"So what do you do when you can't stay somewhere? You pack up and you hit the road."
The building was lifted off of its foundation and transported to the company headquarters
in Irvine, California.
"It definitely took a long trek to get here… 47 miles. This building drove overnight on
a flatbed truck."
The journey took place on November 19th, 2015, and the petite 400-square-foot building made
it safely through the streets of Los Angeles to arrive at its new home.
The chain hasn't said what they plan to do with Taco Bell Numero Uno... but at least
they've preserved an important piece of fast-food history. We'll be sure to update this news
story as more information becomes available. Back to you, Jason.
“I used to walk across Grand River to the Taco Bell in Collinwood, and I would get two
Steak Tacos and a Chilito — aka, the Chili Cheese Burrito..."
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