🌮 July 6, 1962 – Taco Bell Serves Its First Taco

Glen Bell opened the first Taco Bell restaurant on this day in Downey, California. A 400-square-foot, mission-style taco stand, it offered a simple 19¢ menu of crunchy tacos, burritos, tostadas, and frijoles (beans) – all based around recipes Bell had learned from a popular local Mexican café. The walk-up stand, originally outfitted with a patio and no indoor seating, introduced many Americans to fast-food Mexican-inspired cuisine. Taco Bell’s instant popularity in Southern California set the stage for it to become a nationwide (and later global) fast-food chain.

Glen Bell was a serial entrepreneur who had operated burger and hot dog stands, but he struck gold with tacos. After perfecting a method to mass-produce taco shells, Bell franchised Taco Bell in 1964. By the late 1960s, dozens of Taco Bells dotted the West Coast. The brand’s fusion of American fast-food service with Mexican flavors was a novel concept that filled a market niche. Today, Taco Bell, now owned by Yum! Brands, has over 7,000 locations worldwide – all tracing back to that tiny Downey stand where curious customers got their first taste of a “tay-ko” in 1962.

Interesting Fact: Glen Bell got the idea for Taco Bell by reverse-engineering the crunchy tacos from a bustling Mexican restaurant across the street from his hot dog stand. The owners eventually showed him how they made their tacos – a kindness that led Bell to create an empire of taco stands.