Everyone loves Taco Bell, right? But what do you know about them?
Taco Bell is just one of those fast food joints out there that almost everyone loves. Their menu is always customizable, new menu items are always being added on to their already fabulous repertoire, and their food is simply delicious! I can honestly say that out of all of the things that I’ve tried off the menu, I don’t think I’ve had one that I didn’t like; however, I do prefer certain items over others, but nonetheless, all of it is pretty great!
If you’re a massive Taco Bell lover, much like myself, then you may find some of these facts interesting. For example, did you know that Taco Bell originally had a different name? Or, did you know that Taco Bell has their very own hotel? Who knew (well we did, but did you?)!
In addition to some pretty cool facts, we’ll also be highlighting some of the latest additions to the regular Taco Bell menu! Either way, whether you’re here to learn about Taco Bell or find out the latest cravings added to the menu, you’ll be satisfied, so be sure to scroll right on through!
Stay tuned for some pretty rad facts about Taco Bell
Check out these 14 fascinating facts about Taco Bell.
1. Taco Bell hasn’t always been Taco Bell…so, what was it before?
Back in 1954, the beloved Mexican fast food chain started out being known as Bell’s Drive-In. Upon opening their first location, a second location was also opened up called Taco Tia, in which 19-cent tacos were being sold.
Now, I don’t know about you, but I think that on their next anniversary T-Bell should have a 19-cent taco promotion. Just sayin’.
It wasn’t until 1962 where the first proper Taco Bell location was opened over in Downey, California. In a short tiny span of just five years, there were already over 100 locations of the chain! Today, there is a whopping 350 chains that operate over 7,000 restaurants worldwide, serving more than 40 million customers a year, according to some history! Holy cow!
One more cool fact in relation to this already cool one is that their very first building called Numero Uno was able to actually be ‘picked up and saved’ and moved on down over to Downey, California where the brand’s headquarters is now located.
While I do think that Taco Bell is a much better name for the chain, I also think that it definitely wouldn’t be what it is or even exist if it weren’t for Bell’s Drive-In and Taco Tia! Thank you!
2. You heard that right; there’s a hotel dedicated to Taco Bell! Say no more.
While there is currently only one location located down in Palm Springs, California, people have been known to not only travel from across the US to stay there, but international travel to this beloved hotel and resort has also been seen and recorded about as well. Crazy, right?
The hotel/resort just opened last year in 2019, and within just a few short minutes of reservations opening up, they were completely sold out! Who could blame the public? I mean, who wouldn’t want a taco-themed hotel with on-site food, all while relaxing by the pool? I’ll wait.
Some bad news now… they are once again sold out and not taking any more additional or current reservations at the time. This, I learned upon visiting their website.
While the hotel might not be taking reservations at the moment, we do have some insight as to what the rooms look like, so take a look over on their website and check out their four different room types while you’re at it.
Maybe reservations will open some day soon again, but for now, just go ahead and mosey on over to YouTube where many people have documented their stays.
3. Each year, Taco Bell will award over $3 million dollars in scholarships to deserving students! How sweet is that!
The Mexican chain itself has their own foundation, called the Taco Bell Foundation (appropriate, right?), and they have a yearly scholarship called the Live Màs Scholarship, which is funded by the foundation. They basically describe themselves as a foundation that gives away funding that is totally different than the traditional school/educational funding.
Awards go out for graduating high school seniors on their way to college. The range of awards that go out are determined by any individual’s innovation, creative inspiration(s) and aspiration(s), rather than looking at their grades or test scores. No pressure anymore you students.
The Taco Bell Foundation was founded back in 1992 and since then, the wonderful cause and foundation has given out and granted over $95 million dollars to help students and prospects focus on more career-centered things and ideas.
The Live Màs Scholarship has one of the best quotes out there:
"They come from all over the country. They have different passions, stories, and goals. But each one boldly pursues their dreams — and inspires those around them to do the same."
That being said, if you’re interested in applying to this scholarship for upcoming and future school years, don’t worry if your grades and scores aren’t the best because that doesn’t matter over here!
4. Taco Bell may have sponsored the first of one of the coolest events out there!
Back just 25 years ago, the inaugural X Games hosted by ESPN happened and guess who the super cool and delicious sponsor of them was – that’s right, Taco Bell!
In case you’re unfamiliar with the X Games, pretty much like myself, here’s a little bit about them! According to their Wikipedia Page:
"The X Games is an annual extreme sports event hosted, produced, and broadcast by ESPN. Coverage is also shown on ESPN’s sister network, ABC. The inaugural X Games were held during the Summer of 1995 in Providence and Newport, Rhode Island."
Here are some events that are involved within the X Games’ repertoire:
- Skiing
- Snowboarding
- BMX Biking
- Skateboarding
- Many, many more (varies annually sometimes)
When competing in the X Games, people and athletes from around the world compete for gold, silver, and bronze medals (similar to the olympics), as well as a variety of money prizes too (cool)! The X Games has two variations and times that they compete: Summer Games and Winter Games.
There are definitely some cool photos to see from their inaugural year, and of course, peep some of the Taco Bell plugs in on the background as well! Game on!
5. Contrary to what some may think, there are actually no Taco Bell’s in Mexico!
While Taco Bell has made its way overseas to countries such as Spain, the UK, Japan, Korea, and The Philippines, there still (to date at least) are zero locations in Mexico. That may surprise some, given the nature of the cuisine itself; however, they have tried opening locations numerous times there, but have yet to be successful from doing so.
Don’t fret or be concerned though because Taco Bell is officially found in 31 countries across the globe, including Guatemala where there are already 68 locations there alone. Pretty interesting and cool if you ask me, right?
Another pretty fun and cool fact related to this one:
- According to some studies done in 2014, California, Texas, and Florida ranked the top three for the most Taco Bell locations
- It just so happens that at the time, those three states also had some of the highest density of Hispanic populations as well
- Unfortunately, Vermont sits in last for the fewest Taco Bell locations (at the time at least).
- 349 Beef Burrito Supremes
- 201 Chicken Burrito Supremes
- 101 Steak Burrito Supremes
- Some Crunchy Beef Tacos
- Nacho Fries Box
- Cheesy Gordita Crunch
- Doritos Locos Tacos
- Quesarito
- Crunchwrap Supreme
- Freezes (particularly the Baja Blast flavor variety mainly here)
- Nacho Fries (yes, just the fries themselves made the list)
- The Meximelt
- Chicken Quesadilla
- Cinnamon Twists
- Private ceremony on the second floor of the chapel
- Hot sauce bouquet
- Matching Mrs. and Mr. tees for a comfy walk down the aisle
- Burrito
- Salad
- Chili Pepper
- Red face sweating (maybe because the emoji ate something spicy, who knows)
- Black Bean Quesarito
- Black Bean Crunchwrap Supreme
- Power Menu Bowl – Veggie
- Bean Burrito
- Cheesy Bean and Rice Burrito
- 7-Layer Burrito
- Cheesy Potato Griller
- Cheesy Roll Up
- Spicy Potato Soft Taco
- Cheese Quesadillas
- Triple Layer Nachos
- Spicy Toastada (super underrated if you ask me)
- Chips and Nacho Cheese Sauce
- Chips and Guacamole
- Chips and Pico De Gallo
- Cheesy Fiesta Potatoes (one of the first T-Bell items that I ever tried)
- Black Beans and Rice (my new favorite side since Pintos and Cheese was removed from all menus, so so sad)
- Hash Brown(s)
- Mini Skillet Bowl
- Cinnamon Twists
- Cinnabon Delights
If you live in Mexico or have family there and would like to see some T-Bell action there, maybe write to them and see what they can do! The worst that can happen is them saying “no”, so if you ask me, it’s definitely worth the shot, am I right?
6. Need to airdrop some photos to Mom or Dad?! Sure, but what about Taco Bell airdropping some Tacos?!
In a small remote town in Alaska called Bethel, there are no Taco Bell locations. In fact, and unfortunately, the nearest location to any Bethel, AK residents is just a short trip away over to Anchorage, AK being 400 miles away. Well, what can or has been done about this?
In 2012, something pretty cool happened, that up until doing research for this topic here, I never even knew myself. The company (Taco Bell) decided to employ helicopters for a very special delivery for all Bethel residents. Taco Bell had decided to airdrop a special delivery of 10,000 Doritos Locos Tacos! What’s even cooler is that the amount of tacos that were airdropped exceeded the town’s population of just over 6,000 people, so there were plenty of leftovers for all to share!
If you live in a small town much like Bethel, AK, and love Taco Bell’s food, then give Taco Bell a call, gather up all of your people (safely, of course) and have yourself an airdropped taco party!
If you do so, you’re officially the coolest town out there, so definitely share some photos with us and the rest of the internet as well!
7. Say what?! Taco Bell used to serve a delicious food that you might not have expected otherwise!
Back in 2016, an older 1965 Taco Bell menu had resurfaced and yes, of course, the internet and public people went absolutely nuts over it (rightfully so). The original menu offers included the basics: burritos, tacos, and frijoles (beans). While that doesn’t sound super exciting or enticing, considering the current T-Bell menus in today’s time, there were a few things that caught our eye, with one of them being a Chili Burger.
While this particular item may have been labeled as a ‘burger’, it more so resembled a dish like Sloppy Joes (yum). It was later renamed to the Bell Beefer, and let me tell you that upon doing some research here, there are tons and tons of Facebook pages that include petitions to be signed to bring back this apparently fan-favorite menu item!
There are also tons of recipes out there to recreate this particular dish at home; while I never got to try this particular vintage menu item, I do believe that it’s always better when order items like this out, opposed to trying to recreate it in the comfort of your own home.
Go ahead and Google or YouTube what the Chili Burger/Bell Beefer used to be like to at least virtually experience it for yourself.
8. was the largest order at T-Bell? Try over 100 burritos on for size!
While we don’t know when the largest T-Bell order was placed or made, we do know what was in it, and boy let me tell ya, it was a lot! The items that were included in this order includes:
And I thought that an order for $42 dollars off of Uber Eats for two people was a lot. Guess not!
Anyways, in relation to this pretty big fact, here are the top ten best selling and tastiest items on Taco Bell’s menu (past and present), according to fans and polls alike, that are contenders for being part of the next biggest orders ever:
If you have a favorite menu item that you’ve ordered in bulk before, be sure to let us know! Also, if you have a favorite menu item that isn’t in the fans’ top ten list, be sure to add it right down in the comments below as well!
9. Yes, T-Bell had a trademark Chihuahua, and they actually gave her a name! Now, how cute it that?!
Now, call me crazy and just a bit out of the loop, but I didn’t even know, as far as a few days ago went, that Taco Bell used to have a trademark Chihuahua puppy dog! She was a little female dog, and they named her Gidget. Originally, the adorable little pup was actually supposed to be cast as the Taco Bell Chihuahua’s girlfriend; however, minds were changed last minute, and the director decided to have the little girl Gidget play a boy dog in commercials.
What did Gidget do exactly? She gave light and fame to the iconic phrase “Yo quiero Taco Bell!”
Here’s an example of one commercial that little Gidget starred in back in 1997:
Maybe Taco Bell is in the market for another trademark Chihuahua (or other cute/small dog as well). Who knows! That being said, we kind of miss Gidget.
So, with that being said, if you want your dog to be famous, maybe try reaching out to Taco Bell and show them what your pup can offer the company when it comes to Taco Bell ads and commercials alike. You just never know.
10. Getting married at a Taco Bell is possible. Let’s find out where exactly!
As with any other crazy marriage idea, this one will take you to hot and sunny Las Vegas, Nevada! In fact, back in 2017, the Las Vegas Cantina Chapel debuted. Since then, the taco-themed (yet somehow still beautiful) chapel has officiated over 250 weddings, in fact, the exact number is 270 weddings.
I mean, if you love Taco Bell and the person you’re marrying, then why not get married here even if traveling is required? Where else could you get a bouquet made out of their signature hot sauce packets and a Cinnabon Delights cake? I’ll wait.
With all of this being said, if you’d like to get married here, prepare to only be dishing out a $600 charge/service fee. For this low, low price, here’s what’s included in your intimate and romantic ceremonies:
In addition to all of those cool things that you just read about, the entire upstairs portion of the store is reserved for your very big and special days alike.
This entire experience also includes a reservation for up to 15 people, so a very small and intimate ceremony, which sounds pretty darn nice, am I right?
11. What’s their hottest sauce to date, and what goes well or perfect with it?
Yes, you heard that right. Taco Bell has the hottest hot sauce out there on the fast food market right now in more ways than one. Back in 2015, Taco Bell’s latest hot sauce release, the Diablo sauce, became their hottest hot sauce to date. Sure it’s hot, but asking someone if something is spicy is pretty subjective because certain people handle spice and spicy foods way differently than others.
If you ask me, while the Diablo hot sauce is hot, it’s not impossible for me, or my Dad who also loves it, to handle. My personal favorite thing to put it on is the all-time cult favorite classic, Crunchwrap Supreme. Trust me when I say this, a little of the Diablo sauce goes a long way, so if you’re going to try it, be careful, especially if you don’t typically take hot foods well or good at all.
If you love Taco Bell’s hot sauce much like me and my family do, let us know down below which one flavor variety is your favorite! Also, what’s your personal favorite menu item to put some nice hot and spicy Diablo sauce on? Is it the Crunchwrap Supreme or maybe a Taco Supreme?
12. That’s right folks! T-Bell spearheaded the Taco emoji movement in the world!
Yup, you heard that right folks! Taco Bell spearheaded this whole idea of the Taco emoji movement that just so happened to take over the world! Before our beloved taco emoji became reality, it took some serious campaigning to character keyboard makers Unicode. And Taco Bell led the way with Twitter storms and a Change.org petition.
Why there wasn’t a Taco emoji to begin with still semi-blows my mind because it seems like something so basic that would’ve been included anyways.
Some other food and related emojis that other taco and Taco Bell lovers might enjoy could include:
Again, I guess if Taco Bell actually has the power to make such a change in the whole emoji world at hand here, then go ahead and do so. In my personal opinion, I think that the next emoji that Taco Bell should try and spearhead the movement of should be the Crunchwrap Supreme! Wouldn’t that be a pretty dang cool emoji to use and wish you could eat also?
Let us know what favorite Taco Bell menu item of yours that you’d wish to turn into an emoji!
13. Are you a vegetarian and crave Taco Bell? Fear not no more; you’re most definitely cared for here!
According to the American Vegetarian Association, Taco Bell is qualified to be known as a vegetarian restaurant option. In fact, as a pretty cool addition to this fact, it (Taco Bell) was actually the first fast-food company to to offer a fully AVA-approved menu! How cool is that as well?
Here is the entire array of vegetarian menu options that don’t require any customizations:
Here are all of the vegetarian approved desserts on T-Bells full offered menus as well:
Wow…I’m out of breath just even typing all of that! See, options galore for all veggie lovers!
14. Love the cinnamon twists at T-Bell? Try their vintage has-been cinnamon chips!
Finally, here we are at the last fun fact. What’s now more popularly known as Cinnamon Twists used to be known as their Cinnamon Crispas (corn chips). This unfortunately hasn’t been on the menu since back in the 80’s I believe. But boy do they look good, and I surely do wish that they could be brought back, purely for the chance to try them at least once and enjoy them. At the same time, it would be a chance to see how they compare taste and texture-wise to the more current option of Cinnamon Twists!
If any of these facts have sparked your interest, head on over and show Taco Bell some love and appreciation. Even a stop by the drive-thru for some love and appreciation helps the workers get through their days as well!
As a quick little poll here, what is your personal favorite Taco Bell menu item, and also what would you do to show your love and appreciation for all Taco Bell food and employees alike!