He opened his first Mexican-inspired restaurant under a different name

 

He opened his first Mexican-inspired restaurant under a different name

His tacos became an instant hit and gradually outsold his burgers. Eventually, Bell opened his first restaurant to serve Mexican food.

Taco Tia opened in San Bernardino, California, in 1954, selling tacos for 19 cents each. Soon after, he opened another similar restaurant in Los Angeles called El Taco.

He opened his first Taco Bell restaurant in Downey, California, on March 21, 1962.

Taco Bell was franchised in 1964, and within three years, there were 100 locations. The chain is now operating under the Yum! Brands with 7,791 restaurants at the end of 2021.

If it weren't for the steady stream of customers walking from a nearby parking lot, I wouldn't have known that Mitla Cafe was even open.

Despite the triple distinction of being located along historic Route 66, being open for 85 years, and being the foundation for the popularization of tacos nationwide, there's no signage on the outside of Mitla Cafe touting as much.