The Rich And Surprising History Of The Taco Bell Fast Food Chain

When most people think about Taco Bell, they think about heading off to a fast food restaurant and grabbing some cheap tacos. Perhaps we may even want to get a burrito.

There is more to the restaurant than most people realize, and knowing more about its history may make you appreciate the fast food you enjoy even more.

According to Weird History Food, Taco Bell got started in 1962, but since that time, it’s really changed in a number of different ways. At first, it was just a way to get some cheap Mexican-American food, and that is still the same, although it has gotten more expensive over the years.

In 1989, Taco Bell really got a boost to their business when they jumped on board the promotional campaign for Tim Burton’s Batman. Suddenly, the fast food restaurants were covered with cardboard cutouts of Michael Keaton and other Batman memorabilia.

Thanks to those promotional efforts, they received a 25% boost in their sales during that time. Over the years, Taco Bell has tried a number of other advertising campaigns, but not all of them were successful.

In 1996, they celebrated April Fools’ Day by saying they purchased the Liberty Bell. Unfortunately, many people didn’t get the gag and were complaining to the National Park Service about the sale. It only lasted a few hours before Taco Bell had to rescind the joke.

In 2001, Taco Bell again tried to gag, and it didn’t work as well as they would hope. It involved the Mir Space Station, which was set to burn up on reentry and land in the Pacific Ocean. Taco Bell built a 40 x 40 target in the South Pacific and said they would give every American a free taco if a piece of the space station hit it.

That isn’t even to mention some of their other campaigns, such as the Taco Bell dog. Although it was wildly popular, it didn’t seem to work for sales, according to some.

If you would like to know more about the history of Taco Bell, you can watch the following video: