9 Interesting Facts About Taco Bell That You Didn't Know Already
Whether you're on a cross-country road trip, hangry for late-night munchies, or just hopping in the drive-thru line on your way home from work, nothing quite hits the spot like Taco Bell. Established in 1962 by entrepreneur Glen Bell before going public in 1970, Taco Bell's popularity (and number of locations) has ballooned over the last 60 years. It's now the largest Mexican-inspired fast food chain in the world, with around 8,000 locations serving up chalupas, crunchy tacos, and crunchwrap supremes to hungry patrons in over 30 countries and territories.
Taco Bell has had some truly epic moments throughout its history, from introducing the world to gorditas (bless) to sponsoring the very first X Games. The chain is known to have an incredibly savvy marketing team responsible for some memorable publicity stunts, like partnering with Forever 21 to celebrate its 60th anniversary and launching Taco Bell Cantina, an outpost in Vegas with a special menu, upscale design, and nightclub vibes. While many of the company's victories have been well noted by the public, there's a lot that's gone down throughout its history that only Taco Bell superfans know about. Curious about what secrets lurk in the corners of everyone's favorite nacho fries-slingin' fast food chain? Here are 13 little-known factoids certain to blow your mind.
Weddings are performed at Taco Bell's Vegas Cantina
Eloping in Sin City isn't for everyone. But for those looking for an even more unusual spin on a Vegas wedding, it's now possible to tie the nachos at Taco Bell's wedding chapel, which is part of its Las Vegas Cantina location. The Vegas Taco Bell wedding originated as part of the brand's popular Love And Tacos contest, when participating couples took to social media to tell the world how Taco Bell factored into their love story. The winners received gratis flights to Vegas, a catered dinner at the Vegas cantina, a boatload of Taco Bell merch, and a number of additional perks like professional videographers, a free hotel room, and pool and spa gift cards.
The contest ended in 2017, but to this day, there's a chapel in the Vegas Cantina, and patrons can order a wedding right from the menu for $600 — honestly, a steal in an age when couples have been known to go into debt for the sake of their nuptials. The package includes a 30-minute ceremony in the chapel, a private reception area for up to 25 guests, a Taco Party Pack, a Cinnabon Delights cake, and some one-of-a-kind Taco Bell wedding merch like garters, bow ties, and champagne flutes. Brides may also borrow the cantina's Taco Bell sauce packet bouquet for the occasion. A Taco Bell wedding is affordable, easy, and certainly outside the box — and for the right couples, it's a great way to live más AND love más.
It was one of the first chains to hire women as managers
Taco Bell's founder, Glen Bell, had a connection to food from childhood. Growing up in the Great Depression, he spent time harvesting fruits and veggies to aid his impoverished family and later migrated to Washington to help his great-aunt cook and operate a small bakery. These memories caused Bell to recognize the value women can bring to the workplace at an early age.
While Taco Bell began as a standalone operation in 1962, it was quickly franchised and had 100 locations by 1967. The growth was exciting, but as is the case with any business, rapid expansion came with plenty of challenges. Notably, the corporation struggled to find quality managers to oversee its restaurants, so they turned to women. John Gorman, the company's first-ever director of operations, once told Restaurant News that Taco Bell was "the first chain to hire women to run the stores." While it's unclear whether Taco Bell was actually the first to hire them as managers, it was certainly at the forefront of the burgeoning movement of women in the workplace.
50 Cent sued the company
In 2008, Americans were hurting from the recession. Fast food restaurants scrambled to reimagine competitive pricing to draw in more business, and Taco Bell quickly announced the launch of the "79-89-99 Why Pay More" value menu. It was designed to appeal to struggling families and individuals and featured popular items like soft tacos and bean burritos for under a dollar. At the time, 50 Cent was also one of the world's most popular rappers. So somebody at Taco Bell decided that since "cent" was already part of his name, asking the artist to change his name to 79, 89, or 99 Cent would be an innovative way to draw in publicity for the campaign.
It's not the worst idea in the world, but allegedly, instead of presenting the idea to 50 Cent directly, a letter about a name change request was disastrously sent to various media outlets. The rapper was NOT happy, and Taco Bell found itself in a situation stickier than a plate of triple-layer nachos. The franchise claims it offered to donate $10,000 to the charity of 50 Cent's choice if he changed his name for one day and rapped his order at one of the restaurants. He sued Taco Bell for a whopping $4 million in damages, claiming he hadn't seen any request to change his name until it was all over the press. The suit was ultimately settled for an undisclosed amount, but holy guacamole, $4 million could buy a whole lot of cravings boxes.
Gidget, its chihuahua mascot, is a movie star
Every '90s kid remembers Gidget, Taco Bell's infamous chihuahua mascot who starred in many of the chain's commercials and other advertising campaigns in the late '90s and early aughts. Barking her catchphrase, "Yo quiero Taco Bell," the 12-pound pup wormed her way into the hearts of a worldwide audience and inspired the production of an enormous line of collectible merchandise. The chain received backlash for stereotyping Mexican culture throughout this particular ad promotion, but Gidget remains an icon nonetheless.
Gidget's fame didn't end with her stint at Taco Bell, either — she went on to steal the show as Bruiser, Elle Woods' beloved chihuahua in "Legally Blonde." Considering that the plot of "Legally Blonde 2: Red, White, and Blonde" centers around Elle's search for Bruiser's biological mother, she was a heck of an important part. Cast and crew fondly remember Gidget's days on set, recounting that she was well-behaved and friendly with a natural ease in front of the camera. Sadly, she crossed the rainbow bridge at the ripe old age of 18, but her legacy is as much a part of Taco Bell history as the Baja Blast or crispy Gordita Crunch.
Taco Bell revolutionized advertising partnerships
It seems like entertainment and fast food partnerships have been around forever — remember those collectible Disney cups McDonald's used to hand out with Happy Meals, or the "Star Wars" action figures you could get at Burger King? Taco Bell may not have invented the movies-and-fast food collab, but Taco Bell's "Batman" promo revolutionized fast food advertising in a major way in 1989. Tim Burton's "Batman" opened in June of that year with a record-breaking $40-plus million at the box office. Companies were scrambling to hitch their wagons to "Batman" and churning out merch left and right, but perhaps the most successful — and unusual — advertising strategy was that of Taco Bell.
In addition to adorning stores with eight-foot cardboard Batman cutouts and movie posters, the Taco Bell chain was set to distribute 10 million collectible cups featuring different "Batman" characters and scenes to customers who purchased a 32-ounce drink (this incredible deal also came with an order of cinnamon twists and unlimited drink refills). However, demand for the collectibles was unprecedented, and Batmaniacs snatched up over double that number over the next few months. The ad partnership's success led many other restaurants to work jointly with studios over the years, and the strategy is commonplace today.
It once helicoptered 10,000 tacos to Alaska
Bethel, Alaska is just about as "remote small town" as it gets. Anchorage is the closest place considered a city, and it's about 400 miles away. Anyone who's lived in a small town can confirm the buzz of excitement felt among locals when a new restaurant is set to open up. So when fliers were posted around the town in 2012 claiming a Taco Bell was opening in Bethel, residents were psyched. Unfortunately, the ads were revealed to be a prank, leaving citizens who were dreaming of beef gorditas and cheesy potato burritos understandably bummed.
All was not lost, though — upon learning of the hoax, Taco Bell higher-ups decided to cheer up Bethel's residents with a generous gift in the form of Operation Alaska. The company flew in taco kits with hundreds of pounds of ingredients for 10,000 tacos by way of a Taco Bell truck attached to a helicopter. The wholesome event blew up over social media and warmed the hearts of Taco Bell lovers worldwide. It may have started out as a bad joke, but in the end, the fast food franchise earned major media exposure and bolstered its credibility.
There are no locations in Mexico
It's no secret that Mexican food in the United States tends to deviate wildly from Mexican food in, well, Mexico. While it's possible to find authentic options in most major American cities and a small town here or there, the crunchy beef tacos loaded with cheese, sour cream, lettuce, and tomatoes served in many "Mexican" restaurants ain't it. Case in point: Taco Bell. The restaurant's menu features squarely American takes on Mexican food, and while we love our breakfast California crunchwraps and chicken cantina bowls, Taco Bell is decidedly not authentic Mexican food.
That said, the corporation is hugely successful and operates restaurants in 30 countries and territories around the world, from India to the United Kingdom to Guatemala. Perhaps surprisingly, as the restaurant's food is Mexican-inspired, there aren't any Taco Bell locations in Mexico. The chain has tried twice to open its restaurants in the country but was thwarted both times by the public's utter disinterest in its food despite valiant rebranding efforts. In the end, traditional dishes like tamales rojos and albondigas sold by mom 'n pop shops kicked the fast food giant's butt — which, let's be honest, is refreshing in an age when there's a Starbucks on every corner.
Taco Bell purchased the Liberty Bell as a joke
It's not uncommon for corporations to pull media stunts for April Fool's Day. From Google Maps embedding live Pac-Man games in its platform to Tinder issuing a press release stating it was adding height verification, companies have pulled off some truly unbelievable stunts. One of the most epic has to be when Taco Bell faked a purchase of the Liberty Bell nearly three decades ago. In 1996, newspapers were still a major information source, so when the fast food chain took out full-page advertisements in major publications saying it had purchased the Liberty Bell and was renaming it the "Taco Liberty Bell" in a number of major papers, the country went ballistic.
The prank was successful to the extent that many Americans became outraged by the seemingly unpatriotic act — it probably didn't help that White House Press Secretary Mike McCurry piled onto the joke with a bit about Ford Motor Company buying the Lincoln Memorial and renaming it the "Lincoln Ford Memorial." However, the rest of the country put two and two together and applauded the Mexican-inspired franchise's efforts. Despite the initial shock, the hoax ultimately brought Taco Bell considerable media exposure and remains one of the most memorable large-scale pranks in history.
Jessica Simpson's card once declined there
Jessica Simpson isn't as popular today as she was back in the late '90s and early 2000s, but in her heyday, she was one of the most successful and popular singers and TV stars on the map. Married to 98 Degrees' Nick Lachey and with several smash hit songs under her belt, Simpson seemed to have it all and ultimately decided to extend her brand into the fashion world. Funding a fashion line shouldn't be an issue for a celebrity with a seemingly infinite cash flow, right? Not so fast — as they say, mo' money, mo' problems.
Building a business the size of Simpson's clothing line (also called Jessica Simpson) takes a lot of cheddar. In 2022, Simpson revealed to "The Real" that she'd poured not only her heart but also most of her savings into growing her fashion empire — so much so that her card was declined at Taco Bell. Celebrities, they're just like us! Simpson's expansion into both size-inclusive and men's clothing along with a Walmart partnership seems to have turned things around. While many of us have been there and done that, let's hope she's no longer overdrawing for the sake of a steak quesadilla and a blue raspberry freeze.