Taco Bell logo
Mexican-inspired food

Investment

$934,750

Initial Franchise Fee

$25,000 - $45,000

Units

8,746

Growth Rate

+10.7%

Overview About Investment Territories Support Operations Ranking History

Overview

Industry Food
Founded 1962
Franchising Since 1964
Parent Company Yum! Brands Inc.
Leadership Sean Tresvant, CEO
# of Employees at HQ 912

Units and Growth Chart

About Taco Bell

From a hot chalupa to their signature sauce, Taco Bell is the largest purveyor of Mexican cuisine in the world.  As one of the top quick-service restaurant franchises, Taco Bell is known for serving Mexican-style food quickly and at a low price. You can get their tasty tacos at over 7,000 locations across 30 different countries.

Taco Bell is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., which also owns several other recognizable franchises. Yum! Brands Inc. operates over 43,000 restaurant locations across 135 nations and territories. 

Taco Bell was founded in 1962 and began franchising two years later. It has since grown into one of the most recognizable brands in the world.

Why You May Want to Open a Taco Bell Franchise

Taco Bell may be one of the best franchises to own. To qualify to open a Taco Bell franchise, you need to meet the company’s minimum net worth and liquid capital requirements. You should also prepare yourself for an initial investment made up of a franchise fee and other startup costs. In addition, you need not forget about ongoing fees that will include royalty and advertising fees.

What May Make a Taco Bell Franchise a Good Choice?

Taco Bell has been ranked near the top of Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500 list many times in recent decades. This ranking is based on an evaluation of more than 150 data points in the areas of costs and fees, size and growth, franchisee support, brand strength, and financial strength and stability. 

Taco Bell is one of the most popular and recognizable brands in the U.S., which means that you may have a leg up on the competition. They're also aggressively expanding into the global market, which may create a great opportunity for entrepreneurs around the world to open a Taco Bell franchise close to home. Whether you live in or outside of the U.S., Taco Bell may be one of the best franchise organizations to open.

How Do You Open a Taco Bell Franchise?

First, you have to submit your application. If you're approved, then you'll participate in the Taco Bell franchise training program. This program will likely take several weeks. After that, they will begin construction on the new building. Taco Bell locations can require multiple months to complete construction. 

Once your Taco Bell franchise location is ready to go, you'll be responsible for ensuring everything runs smoothly leading up to the opening of the restaurant. You can hire a manager to handle these duties, but if you decide to manage it yourself, one of the most important steps is staffing your restaurant.

Taco Bell may be easy to hire for. Because of this, many of your employees are likely to be young and new to the workforce. With the caveat that ages differ in some states, you can hire employees as young as 16 in most places in the U.S. After hiring some staff, you can begin preparing for your grand opening.

And that's it! Taco Bell strives to make opening a new franchise as seamless as possible. Once you have your restaurant staffed and open for business, you can proudly call yourself the owner of a brand new Taco Bell franchise. 

Investment Details

Initial Franchise Fee $25,000 - $45,000
Initial Investment $934,750 - $4,310,200
Net Worth Requirement $5,000,000
Cash Requirement $2,000,000
Royalty Fee 5.5%
Ad Royalty Fee 4.25%
Technology Fee to $8.5K/yr.
Term of Agreement 10-25 years
Is Franchise Term Renewable? No
Financing Third Party
Veterans Incentive N/A

Available Territories

Franchising opportunities available in the following regions

United States

Training & Support Programs

Comprehensive training and ongoing support to help you succeed

Training

On the Job Training 400 hours
Classroom Training 8 hours

Ongoing Support

Newsletter
Meetings & Conventions
Toll-Free Line
Grand Opening
Online Support
Security & Safety Procedures
Field Operations
Site Selection
Proprietary Software
Franchisee Intranet Platform

Marketing Support

Ad Templates
National Media
Regional Advertising
Social Media
SEO
Website Development
Email Marketing
Loyalty Program/App

Operations & Requirements

Key operational details and requirements for running this franchise

Is absentee ownership allowed? No
Can this franchise be run from home/mobile unit? No
Can this franchise be run part time? No
# of employees required to run 0
Are exclusive territories available? No

Ranking History

Taco Bell performance in the Franchise rankings over recent years

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Disclaimer
The information on this page is not intended as an endorsement or recommendation of any particular franchise or business opportunity by Entrepreneur Media. Our listings and rankings are solely research tools you can use to compare opportunities. Entrepreneur stresses that you should always conduct your own independent investigation before investing in a franchise or business opportunity. That should include reviewing the company's legal documents, consulting with an attorney and an accountant, and talking to former and current franchisees/licensees/dealers.
Updated: December 12th, 2022