Glen Bell created Taco Bell after opening the first Taco Bell restaurant in Downey, California, in 1962.
Bell had previously operated food businesses and became interested in Mexican-style food. He opened the first Taco Bell on Firestone Boulevard in Downey, where the restaurant sold tacos and other inexpensive menu items. The business then expanded through franchising, allowing independent operators to open restaurants under the Taco Bell name.
The original Downey restaurant became historically important because it represented the beginning of the Taco Bell chain. The building was later moved and preserved by the Taco Bell Foundation, although the restaurant’s continuing operations are associated with the wider brand rather than that original site.
Taco Bell is often confused with Del Taco because both are American Mexican-inspired fast-food chains. Glen Bell, Downey, and 1962 identify Taco Bell’s origin.