I’ve always been curious as to why there aren’t any Taco Bell outlets in Taiwan. Actually, they are generally rare in Asia. Is it just that people in Taiwan aren’t interested in Mexican food (okay, okay, I know Taco Bell isn’t authentic Mexican fare) or that it was never properly promoted?
Taco Bell has operated in Singapore for 5 years and is expanding into China. Apparently their first restaurant in Shanghai has been very successful.
I’m curious as to why there aren’t already Taco Bells all over the place, especially since I have so Americans talk about the place like its a holy site. Why hasn’t it taken off in Asia the same way that KFC / McDonald’s did? The same thing with donuts – no Dunkin’ Donuts. One of my friends lived in Korea in the mid-90s and said that they had Taco Bell branches there briefly, but Koreans just didn’t like it (guess it wasn’t spicy enough).
I always wondered the same thing, since the parent company (Pepsi) also owns KFC and Pizza Hut. It’s not uncommon in the states to have combined KFC/Taco Bell/Pizza Hut restaurants in the same space. Guess they didn’t think Taco Bell would catch on in Taiwan?
There used to be Dunkin’ Donuts here. They closed years ago.
The main problem is with the companies who buy the franchises. Kentucky Fried Chicken got screwed in Hong Kong back in the 1970s because the company who owned the franchise tried to cut corners and fed their chickens dried ground fish. The chicken tasted like crap and so all the shps closed. They then refused to sell the brand back unless they were paid compensation. As a result KFC was locked out of HK for about 10 years while they fought it out in court.
Here in Taiwan there is a certain brand that’s had trouble for more than 12 years. The companies who have owned the franchise are not interested in the actual product, they make more money selling the rights to the logo for T-shirts, watches, socks, etc. The parent company is pissed and there is some question how long the locals are going to be able to slide. I can’t name the company because I’m in negotiations with them right now.
Another well known franchise here has been owned by a real estate company for years. They go into an area, start buying up property cheap and then announce they are going to open a new restaurant. Real estate prices sky-rocket and they cash in. The restaurant (which most people here probably hate) is only a tool. Just one reason why their service sucks.
In negotiations for what, taking over the franchise?
The weird thing about KFC and Taco Bell is that Taiwan already has good fried chicken, from Shihlin Night Market to Ding Guo Guo (the chicken there is twice as good as KFC’s in my opinion). They don’t have much in the way of Mexican food, let alone Taco Bell. I wonder whether foreigners alone could keep one outlet going. Maybe not.
When you were born the doctor must of hit you with a smart ass stick.
You know Golden Tex Fried Chicken? That’s a good example…the local company broke the contract and changed the name…
That’s right, he already broke his “this kid will derive great satisfaction from making vapid posts on the Internet” stick on you. We really must get together for beer, or tea, sometime bf-six-cubed. I’d love to stick around and talk Taco Bell and ICRT all night but I’m done work and it’s time to head home.
G’nite John-Boy.
We don’t have taco bell in europe either…that is maybe the only american fastfood i would really like to eat…so common…here i am…feed me…!!
I think baja style tacos would go over well in Taiwan. They are grilled steak or chicken in small corn tortillas with salsa. Places that serve them are popping up everywhere in Southern California. The decor of Baja Fresh, stark white tile with black tile trim, would fit right in in Taiwan.
Actually they used to be owned by Pepsi. They were sold to Tricon Global, which was subsequently renamed YUM! Brands (NYSE: YUM).
They also own A&W as well as Long John Silver’s (purveyor of fried seafood).
i think there actually was one for a while, out on minsheng near sanmin rd. or maybe it was nanjing.
Strictly speaking, Tricon/YUM! was Pepsi, until it was spun off and listed at the behest of Pepsi shareholders who long wanted out of the food business.
Baja Fresh is my fave fast food chain back home, but let’s not forget what it advertises: “No MSG, no freezer, no microwave, no lard.” None of these qualities would fit right in Taiwan. 
Taco Bell will never sell here. My Taiwanese friends in the US hate it.
It’s the BEANS. Beans here are ‘sweet’… red and green bean desserts like those ‘wonderful’ mooncakes we’ve been trying not to choke on.
Beans in Mexican food (I think Taco might actually qualify as Mexican food- with apologies to Mexico) are salty, not sweet. Chinese don’t dig it. But non-bean delights like chicken fajitas might go over well (I have Taiwanese friends who like the new Chili’s in Taipei and it’s fajitas).
Taco Bell in TW. I won’t hold my breath.
Incubus:
I loveeeee Baja Fresh as well, espeically their chicken burritos with extra rice and salsa… ahhhhhhhh can someone please get a towel to wipe off my dripping slava…
Taco Bell isn’t that bad at all and I do agree with WarMonkey that is is the BEAN… (which I can’t stand!!!) But I gotta say that it is cheaper than Baja Fresh. I used to eat Taco Bell everyday when I was in college, hmmm… the good old days!
~miakaw~
I thought it was Mister Donut here before. I remember the triangular shop near the old Tonglin Dept Store on Zhongxiao East Road. It was no Dunkin Donuts or Krispy Kreme, but at least they were real donuts.
The problem with any such establishment (see the Citysky thread) is that inevitably they are here to make a profit, and if they can’t think of a creative way to entice Taiwanese people to buy their product, they’ll begin to hand control over to Taiwanese management, the content will be shifted to Taiwanese tastes while sloppily trying to maintain the veneer of of the original business’s Western flavor, quality will begin to slip since no-one will know exactly what they are trying to do, and before you know it the company will have gone the way of ICRT, Quizno’s or one of the English-language newspapers.
Or, they could manage their marketing to attract Taiwanese consumers to their product with only a veneer of Taiwanese flavor while still maintaining their core product, e.g. MacDonald’s, Fridays, KFC, Subway and Starbucks… when each of these started up it was predicted that Taiwanese wouldn’t like them and they’d go under. If Taco Bell and/or Dunkin Donuts wanted to come in here and make Mexican fast food/Donuts a fashionable, attractive product, consumers would be lining up for their gringo tacos and donuts to go with their coffee. But if they get some bonehead manager in there who thinks they should shift all of the Taco Bell content to stinky beancurd “because that’s what the people want”, they’ll go under in a matter of weeks and the international business community will be told that “Taiwanese aren’t ready for (insert product here)”.
Incubus, it’s advertising those things (no msg, etc.) in the U.S. as being part of the appeal of Baja Fresh.