As a beloved late-night haunt and purveyor of the quintessential fourth meal, Taco Bell stands out among competition in the fast-food industry by straying away from the traditional burgers-and-fries model. In fact, that was founder Glenn Bell’s exact vision when he started selling tacos from his hamburger and hot dog stand in San Bernardino, Calif., in 1951 — and as a way of seducing customers from the McDonald’s original location, located just two miles down the street. In 1962, the very first Taco Bell opened in Downey, Calif., in a miniscule 20-foot by 20-foot building.Today, there are over 15,000 Taco Bell locations across the United States dishing out now-famous menu items like the Beefy Crunch Burrito and the Crunchwrap Supreme. Love for the chain has also blossomed outside the borders of the U.S. with a total of over 55,000 locations worldwide.Largely driving the chain’s success is its history of clever marketing, which often entails handing out millions of free tacos. These sig...
