Taco Bell Returns To Mexico After 15 Years
Taco Bell has plans to open stores in Mexico with the slogan, "Es Otra Cosa," or "It's Something Else."
In addition to their regular fare, Mexican Taco Bell will serve American favorites such as ice cream and french fries. The "taco" will be called a "tacostada," which is a play on the words "taco" and "tostada," because (let's face it) a Taco Bell "taco" isn't really a taco.
From the San Diego Union-Tribune:
Not everyone is thrilled with Taco Bell's arrival, but actual taco vendors don't seem nervous:
"What we are bringing to Mexico is not Mexican food, it's our exciting quick-service restaurant brand," said Rob Poetsch, a spokesman for Yum Brands. "We feel the timing is right, and we've done quite a bit of consumer research to validate that this goes beyond product. It's about value and convenience - that's the universal appeal."Antonio Zambrano, a 42-year-old businessman who was having a meal at one of Tijuana's many KFC outlets yesterday, said many Mexicans will like Taco Bell "precisely because it is different."
"Plus, sometimes you're looking for more than the food," Zambrano said. "You also want good service, you want to be served quickly and you want to have a meal in a clean environment."
Adrián Beltrán, a 34-year-old taco shop worker at the popular Tacos El Gordo in this city's Rio Zone, said there is no competition between traditional Mexican food and the products Taco Bell offers."Competition? Please," he said. "Personally, I like the Jack in the Box tacos. Now those are good tacos. How come those guys don't come here?"
Americanized tacos returning to Mexico [San Diego Union-Tribune]
(Photo:kylemagnon)
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Comments:
Soo... should we warn them to stay away from their crappy food?
I just want them to bring back the Chilito (aka the Chili Cheese Burrito). I LOVED those things.
This is an act of war. Forget Iran, we're invading Mexico
Clean Taco Bell restaurants? I thought they were a myth!
My wife is from Australia and when she first ate at Taco Bell she puked in the bathroom. I told her that she did not grow up developing the anti-bodies to fight Taco Bell like I had.
Why is America's number one export always have to be pain and suffering?
The nachos grande is pretty decent.
i wonder if taco bell will bring in their own rats, or just use the ones already there.
low blow and i apologize.
I'm originally from an area that had a large population of migrant workers from Mexico. You'd be hard pressed to find any of them at the local Taco Bell. They just didn't think it was any good.
That being said I think Beltrán is probably right, unless Taco Bell really changes their menu for Mexican customers.
"What we are bringing to Mexico is not Mexican food..."
They probably could've ended the article/press release right there.
MMMMmmmm, Jack In the Box Tacos. Now I have an urge to fly east. I wish there were Jack in the Box's in Chicago.
@ChrisC1234: Are you in mexico?
If not I find it odd that your Taco Bell doesn't serve Chili Cheese Burritos.... They're probably one of the most popular items in Ohio when going to Taco Bell
Finally, someone will be introducing Mexicans to the Chalupa!
On a serious note, I like Taco Bell's food. It's no Del Taco or Taco Cabana (don't have those here), and it's not Mexican food, but for what it is, it's tasty. Really. Just don't compare it to Mexican food.
In fact, it's hard to compare just about anything with real Mexican food. Maybe you lucky folks in Texas or California have authentic Mexican food, but we sure don't in Michigan. (Luckily I get to go to Mexico at least twice a year and get to eat the good stuff [and I don't mean Cancún].)
Heh! Now that I think of it, the first food I fed my Mexican inlaws here in the States was Taco Bell. Everything else was closed, and we were all starving after the flights. They liked it, even though it wasn't "Mexican."
Well in all fairness I don't think migrant workers have a lot of disposable income to toss around on fast food.
"You also want good service, you want to be served quickly and you want to have a meal in a clean environment."
And he'd go to a Taco Bell for that??!
@balthisar: I lived in Indiana from 1994-2000 15 minutes from the Michigan border. There's good Mexican food up there, trust me.
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I don't know where you people go, but I'm tired of the "all of Mexico is dirty" bullshit.
Does this mean that they'll actually learn Spanish instead of just adding -ada or -ito to the end of everything?
So is Olive Garden's setting up franchises in Italy? [Please tell me thay haven't already.]
@humphrmi: I didn't even realize they had them out East now - it's only NC, SC, and TN, though. I'd only known them when I lived in Texas and in California.
They do have them in Illinois, though - [www.jackinthebox.com]
Taco bell isn't traditional Mexican food. It's fast food. No one in their right mind says "hmm I want some good Mexican food... I know, Ill go to taco bell!" Taco bell is their own category of fast food. I love Mexican food, I grew up eating it (step dad is from Mexico) but some times i want taco bell. not because its good Mexican food, but because I like the food on occasion.
@xtc46: Actually, you'd be so surprised...a lot of places have crappy Mexican food, and a lot of the people in the area have never been exposed to REAL Mexican food, since most of it has been dumbed down for the section of the American crowd that is culturally stupid, and won't try anything ethnic. A lot of the people in the town where I went to college thought Taco Bell was considered Mexican, and had to be corrected.
I'm from Quebec, Canada and I had an experience with Taco Bell once in Florida while goin down for Spring Break... Tasty but I fear you simply need to have a toilet near you.. this thing just went downhill from my stomach to mmm well you know lol.. and the restaurant was really dirty. Oh and I won't speak about customer service. The worst I ever experienced.
Anyway,
Was just wondering, after reading comments about "true mexican food", if any of you have a website or can recommend me some book or whatever else so that I can be also "exposed" to real Mexican food. I'm a pretty good cook so that is something I'd really like to try!
Taco Bell's disgusting. At least Chipotle makes and serves real food that's pretty good.
I still say that a taco, burrito, taquito, and chimichanga are all the same damn thing. A soft taco is just an urnolled burrito! A chimichanga is just a big taquito!
Also: "authentic" mexican tacos are too small.
2nd Also: why has "authentic" turned into a synonym for "good"? Something can be authentic and horrible at the same time.
Is this chicken? No? Is it beef? Pork? No??? What do you mean "otra cosa"?!?!
If you're anywhere in or near Greater Boston, check out Anna's TaquerÃa in Porter or Davis Sq. in Somerville. Absolutely kick-ass Mexican food.
@DrGirlfriend:
As a general comment, what you said is idiotic. If you had an experience with a certain store say so, but all the TB's around here are clean as a whistle, besides, I can see them make the food right in front of me, unlike some of those burger joints.
Italians have succumbed to the convenience of BlockBuster, they have aquiesced to the ubiquity of McDonalds, I wouldn't even be surprised to see a WalMart there (deep deep deep in the burbs) next time I go, but there is NO WAY IN HELL anyone there would eat at an Olive Garden unless you made them do it at gunpoint. Tourists might if they felt homesick for overcooked pasta, nasty gloppy sauce, limp salads swimming in oil, or overpriced mediocre wine - but frankly you can eat far better food at any number of trattorias, and little mom and pop restaurants. TacoBell es Otra Cosa, but Olive Garden pretends to be authentic to the people too stupid or culturally sheltered to know any better. It'll never happen.
Real mexican food is horribly bland. The mexican restaurants in the US are actually Tex-Mex, a blend of 18th century southwest inhabitants which were mostly mexican. But Mexican food that originates from Mexico is way different. Most things you seen in American Mexican restaurants are inventions of early mexican-americans in the US, not current Mexico.
Same thing with Chinese food, or Italian (made from Italian immigrants that "americanized it").
So, will the Mexican Pizza be called the Pizza Americano?
@ChrisC1234: God I miss the Chilito, I think it may be a slang word for dick. But still it was delicious.
Yes, authentic mexican food is pretty bland. Their refried beans are soupy and horrid. The salsa is watery.
I do like the handmade tortillas though.
Taco Bell is pretty grim though. Taco Time is much better, but I'm not sure that the chain goes beyond the pacific northwest.
@bbbici: I have never heard authentic mexican as bland before. I am stunned, in fact. Vegetarian beans in a can is bland. Subtly spiced pintos fried and mashed in lard is awesome. Vinegar-based salsas are usually thin, but... watery? The dried chiles that go in to these have amazing depth of flavor. What do you not consider bland? Shots of thai fish sauce to chase down wasabi?
Taco Bell is as much a Mexican restaurant as they are a Mexican phone company.
Taco Hell is just naaaasty. Yeah, it tastes good but I hate thinking about whats IN that crap. We have Taco Cabana down here in TX & that place is pretty good. It's more authentic than TB, thats for sure.
I once ate 12 Taco Bell soft tacos in a half-hour after a long time partying. Then I passed out and woke up with a ruined pair of Calvin Klein jeans. I had to drive home without pants and the party host complained that they couldn't use their living room for the rest of the week.
I eat Taco Bell because its one of 2 places open at 2am in my town. Now, a Taco Bell in Mexico!??? Who do they expect is going to eat there? Are they trying to cash in on American tourism?
"Personally, I like the Jack in the Box tacos. Now those are good tacos. How come those guys don't come here?"
xD *roflcoppter*
I like that giant burrito they have at Taco Bell, but you can't eat it with THEIR hot sauce. I get some of that Paul Newman salsa and eat it with that. Much better.
They should do a deal with Paul Newman to get that as Taco Bell's standard salsa. They would look good by promoting Paul Newman's charities and their food would taste 100 times better.
@balthisar: I flew out to Vegas about a year ago and enjoyed my first Del Taco. That stuff makes Taco Bell seem like a five-star restaurant. Chipotle is 1,500 times better.
We also have El Pollo Loco down here in TX & that place actually makes Taco Bell look good. El Pollo Loco food is by far the nastiest psuedo-tex mex food I've ever eaten.
@ChrisC1234: The day that Taco Bell stopped offering Chili Cheese Burritos is the day that all joy left Michigan.
If you're looking for good service in a clean environment, Taco Bell ain't the place to find it.