Taco Bell UK opens 100th milestone restaurant this week

·                           Opening on August 18th, Taco Bell UK will celebrate the opening of its 100th restaurant since launching in the UK in 2010 

·                           Having opened 50 restaurants in its first 10 years in the UK, the past 18 months has seen the brand double its presence across the pond 

·                           With more than 7,000 restaurants in the US, the growth across the UK has contributed to Taco Bell International’s growth across the globe by 25% 

On August 18th Taco Bell UK, the Mexican-inspired quick service restaurant brand, will reach a landmark milestone with the opening of its 100^th restaurant in Spalding Lincolnshire.  

Having doubled the number of restaurants in the past 18 months, since the brand’s first UK store opening, the 100^th store marks the ambitious growth plans that have become synonymous with the brand.  

The UK’s first Taco Bell opened in the Lakeside Shopping Centre in June 2010 and since then Taco Bell has gone from strength-to-strength, creating an estimated 3,000 jobs, and having sold over 8,326,915 crunchy beef tacos!  

With the goal of welcoming even more taco fans to the fold worldwide, the brand’s UK growth has aided Taco Bell in expanding its store count by 25% outside of the US, where the first Taco Bell restaurant was opened in 1973. The brand has no intentions of slowing down, Taco Bell and its international franchisees have plans to operate more than 1,000 restaurants internationally. 

Gino Casciani, General Manager of Taco Bell in the UK & Europe, says: “We’re currently in one of the most exciting times for the UK QSR industry! An increasing number of iconic brands are making moves from the US and consumers have more choice than ever before, this means we need to go the extra mile for our incredibly loyal Taco Bell fans, which is something we delight in. The growth of the brand in the UK is testament to the incredible team we’ve built here who’ve managed to adapt to the ebb and flow to deliver a product we are proud of at every turn.”  

Casciani continues: “The doors opening on Taco Bell’s 100th store is a fitting time to reflect on the twelve years the franchise has been in operation in the UK and it’s an incredibly proud moment. However, as the business eyes up future moves, it will come as little surprise that we are setting our sights on further growth.” 

Raja Adil, franchisee of Taco Bell Spalding, says: “It feels like the opening of the Spalding restaurant has been a long time coming and we know it’s something locals have eagerly been anticipating! The day has finally come and the news that we will also be the 100^th store is the cherry on top.” 

Building on the rapid growth being experienced by the brand, Taco Bell’s store count will officially go to 102 in the same week as the opening of its 100th restaurant with locations opening in Torquay and Hornchurch.  

With an ever-expanding portfolio of locations, Taco Bell’s growth has been supported by an exciting range of global campaigns, including most recently #TacoSwap, in which the brand encouraged people to give up their sad lunches and swap them for a delicious free Crunchy Taco. For the latest news on Taco Bell UK and details on where to find your nearest restaurant head to tacobell.co.uk.