taco bell facts Archives - Fast Food Answers

Taco Bell is undoubtedly one of the most-popular fast-food restaurants in the world, as proven by the fact that there are more than 7000 locations across the U.S. alone. People usually have a lot of questions about this world-famous restaurant. If you’re curious about the place and you’d like to know more, keep reading because here are some interesting things to learn about Taco Bell. 1. Is Taco Bell Fast Food? In every sense of the word, Taco Bell is indeed fast food. People come into the restaurant or through the drive-through area and expect their made-to-order food to be ready in no time. Even if you order Taco Bell food through a food-delivery service, it will still be nice and warm when arrives. Taco Bell employees are specially trained to quickly prepare their fresh meals. Regardless of what you’re ordering, it will be delivered to you hot, fresh, and fast. 2. Is Taco Bell Junk Food? While some people consider Taco Bell junk food, it's really more a “comfort” food. Tacos and other Mexican delights can’t really be considered junk food because they aren’t necessarily bad for you. In fact, with fresh meats, cheese, and vegetables, tacos and other Mexican food can be considered good for you. As far as fast foods go, Mexican fast food is some of the healthiest around. It's considered closer to comfort food, simply because it tastes yummy and soothes your belly and soul whenever you need a physical or psychological pick-me-up. 3. Is Taco Bell Mexican? While Taco Bell offers Mexican-inspired food, it isn’t a Mexican invention. Taco Bell is headquartered in California and started up in 1962 by an American. While the restaurant does strive to provide its customers with good old-fashioned Mexican dishes, most of the foods are “American-ized”. In other words, they have more of an American flair. However, this certainly doesn’t stop them from being delicious! If I may say so. 4. Is Taco Bell Authentic Mexican Food? Taco Bell food can only be considered a form of Mexican food. Mexican food in the U.S. is more Tex-Mex than it is Mexican. The difference is in the ingredients and in how the dishes are made. Authentic Mexican food uses only fresh ingredients such as tomatoes and chili. They prepare their meals with traditional spices such as coriander and not cumin or dry oregano. Their tortillas are maize-based and not made with wheat. Frijoles are made from scratch and not with refried beans. You'll also often find white cheese instead of yellow cheese, and tacos made with soft shells instead of crispy ones. So while Taco Bell tastes similar to real Mexican food, it's actually not authentically Mexican. 5. Is Taco Bell Popular in Mexico? Not only is Taco Bell not popular in Mexico, but the restaurant failed when it tried to open up locations there. Because of the Americanized names given to the foods, most Mexicans didn’t even know what they were ordering. As of this writing, there are no Taco Bell restaurants in any part of Mexico and it isn’t because the food isn’t good. It’s just that the food is so different from what real Mexicans are used to eat. 6. Is Taco Bell Good? If you like Tex-Mex food, Taco Bell is delicious. Their menu is extremely varied and truly offers something for everyone. They offer snack foods such as tacos and burritos along with dishes such as nachos, quesadillas, and lots more. Not to mention some desserts and tasty appetizers. If you love Mexican food, either authentic or Tex-Mex, you’ll enjoy eating Taco Bell food every time. It's one of my personal favorite fast food restaurants (feel free to also read my surprising facts about tacos). 7. Is Taco Bell Expensive? Taco Bell has to be one of the least-expensive fast-food places on the planet. For under $5, you can get a few tacos and something to drink! You’ll even get change back from your purchase. In many places, tacos start at around 60 or 70 cents each. In other words, for way less than $10 you can eat several different items and fill up quickly, even if you’re extra hungry that day. If you’re low on cash and didn’t bring your lunch to work one day, maybe Taco Bell is a great option. I mean, for several bucks you should be good. 8. Is Taco Bell Creamy Jalapeno Sauce Spicy? Taco Bell’s creamy jalapeño sauce is what they put on their chicken quesadillas. The sauce is made with jalapeño peppers and spices such as cumin, paprika, and chili powder, among others. It has a kick to it for sure, but to many people it's not considered overly spicy. Creamy jalapeño sauce has to be able to satisfy all palates. Every individual has different preferences and tastes when it comes to what is considered “spicy.” Their creamy jalapeño sauce does have a kick, but it's by no means too spicy for most people. 9. Does Taco Bell Have Free Refills? Taco Bell restaurants did not provide free refills on any of their drinks in the past, but things have changed. Ever since the late 1980's, Taco Bell has changed its policy and has offered free refills to all of its customers. A lot of people don't know this, but it’s a good thing to keep in mind when you visit one of their restaurants. It can save you some money if you’re particularly thirsty that day. 10. Does Taco Bell Fill You up? Even though Taco Bell food is pretty cheap, it's filled with meats, cheese, and veggies, not to mention delicious sauces. This means that regardless of what you order, it's easy to feel satisfied and full when you’re done eating. Meats and beans are particularly filling. Even if all you choose is a burrito and a soft drink, it will likely be enough until your next meal. Although it depends mostly on what you order, you can still expect to be full once you finish your Taco Bell meal. 11. Does Taco Bell Accept 50- or 100-Dollar Bills? Taco Bell does indeed accept 50- or 100-dollar bills. Because of the amount of business the restaurant takes in every single day, they won’t have a problem providing you with change for your 50- or 100-dollar bill. The only exceptions are when they first open or if you order their food for delivery from one of the food-delivery services. In these cases, it might be more difficult for the restaurant to have the change on hand to complete the transaction. Always good to ask up front, just to be sure. 12. Can Taco Bell Employees Accept Tips? As a company, Taco Bell does not allow its employees to accept tips. However, that sometimes changes with each franchise. Some managers will say that employees are never allowed to accept tips under any circumstances. Others will instruct their employees to reject the offer three times and if the customer still insists, they can accept the tip. A few franchises may allow their employees to accept tips under certain conditions, but this is the exception and not the rule. More often than not, Taco Bell employees are not allowed to accept tips while they’re working. Fun Fact: Did you know there are actual tortilla socks? Final Thoughts Taco Bell is definitely one of my favorite restaurants to visit whenever I feel like a quick meal. Oh, and so is Chipotle. I do also visit other Mexican restaurants at times, however, those are then meant as an evening out and could last for hours. When it comes to fast food, Taco Bell does the trick for me. Don't get me wrong though: I can also appreciate a big whopper or any other burger! Not to mention pizza slices. Even though I don't call myself a regular customer at any fast food restaurant, a fast and tasty snack does make me very happy at times. And: By the amount of other customers I can tell that I'm not the only one. I linked to my taco facts somewhere in the middle of this article, which is a fun read if you ask me. However, there are always questions remaining. If that's the case, here's the link to the Taco Bell website. Enjoy your Mexican snacks!