Taco Bell - tesg's guide to big chain road food consumption

CHAIN -- Taco Bell
Owner -- Yum! Brands, Inc (NYSE: YUM)
Primary Operating Region -- Nationwide
Number of Locations -- 5,030 US, 193 International (December 2004)

No single individual could be written into the histories in more fast food operations than Glen Bell. His biography is a fascinating read.

In 1947, Bell ran a small walk-up hamburger stand in San Bernadino when the idea of "walk-up" was unheard of. His location was four miles from the brothers McDonald, who at the time were running a successful drive-in.

At that same stand, Bell effectively invented the modern taco by creating the pre-fab taco shell. A visitor to that stand liked what he saw and tacos showed up at the chain he worked for...Jack in the Box.

Beyond that original stand, Bell himself started two more chains that still have locations in existence (Taco-Tia and El Taco) and sold his partnerships before opening the first Taco Bell. Along the way, one of his store managers started Del Taco. Another ended up operating on a lot Bell had sold to raise capital to start Taco Bell. At Bell's suggestion, they made it a hot dog stand called "Der Wienerschnitzel".

Taco Bell thrived, they went up everywhere. Bell sold out to PepsiCo, who later spun off their restaurant segment into a company called Tricon.

My first experience with the Bell came when I left Alaska for a radio job in Oregon (1986). The Albany Taco Bell became a regular stop for tacos because they were having a price war with Taco Time and each were selling hard shell tacos for fifty cents (Taco Bell's regular price was $.73 at the time as I recall...the whole menu was more expensive than it was in the early 90's.) Such easy access to tacos was a whole new concept to me, being from Alaska and all. And tacos are my favorite food in the world.

When I moved to North Dakota, I used to make the occasional 75-mile drive to the nearest Taco Bell to get my fix. Ultimately, my favorite menu item became the Enchrito (the corn-shell, three-olive version that was later discontinued).

This KFC-Taco Bell 2-in-1 was once a Hardee's.

I lost my taste for the Bell after moving to Des Moines in 1993. Our local franchisee was horrible. The four Des Moines locations had not been remodeled since they were built two decades previous. One was a converted building that used to be a Sambo's. The prices were WAY above the national scale. The toppings were even skimpier than the national scale (which was already pretty bad). And you know how those commercials for specials at fast food joints always have a fine-print line that says "at participating locations" across the bottom? Taco Bell in Des Moines was NEVER a participating location.

We have since had an ownership change, and improvements have been slowly coming. The east side store relocated into a nearby abandoned Boston Market, keeping the chairs and tables and painting more festive colors, which ironically gave them a more attractive interior than your typical Taco Bell. The two other original Taco Bell buildings have closed. The old Sambo's store has painted and replaced the seating. A couple of locations have popped up in food courts, gas stations, and "2-in-1" combo stores with KFC. And the local stores ARE "participating locations" now. Still, Des Moines hasn't seen the construction of a freestanding standalone Taco Bell in probably 30 years. Then again, most expansion with the Yum brands seems to be in the multi-format concept.

I still don't have the taste for the Bell that I used to, and I'm not alone. Almost every other QSR Mex chain does it better (and in a lot of cases cheaper). This didn't matter for a long time because Taco Bell could make it on name recognition alone. But people are starting to come around and actually give these other places a try. They like what they're getting there.

As a result, Taco Bell seems to be going through the motions. Changes to the menu are frequent as are changes to their marketing strategies. There's no apparent rudder steering the company right now. I'm sure they'll right it eventually, but competitors (most notably Del Taco) are making inroads.

Food-wise, their hard shell tacos are pretty much the worst out there. They're mostly shell and lettuce. But I think Taco Bell makes the best Bean Burrito in the business, because I really like their beans and their red sauce. If I could perfectly replicate the sauce, I'd put it on almost everything I eat. If they made a "Red Sauce and Cheese" cup...you know...like the "Pintos and Cheese" but without the beans, I'd order it regularly. Chalupas are great as is the Grilled Steak Soft Taco. Taco Bell tried a breakfast menu for a few years, but I don't think any market that had it still supports it. The Taco Bell breakfast menu was actually pretty good. It was focused around breakfast burritos (naturally).

More often than not, my QSR Mex money is deposited at Taco Time, Taco Johns, Taco Tico, or...if I'm around one...Del Taco. But once in awhile I still have to get that Bell fix...