Why Aren't There Any Taco Bell Locations In Mexico?

Us Mexicans love a novelty, especially when it comes directly from our neighbor to the north. From clothing brands to fast food chains, we welcome U.S. products with open arms and wallets. Case in point: When the first McDonald's opened in Mexico City in October 1985, people stood in long lines to get a taste. KFC has been around since the late 1960s, and just recently, I saw a new Popeyes branch opening with a line stretching around the block on one of the city's main avenues. However, there's one U.S.-based fast food purveyor that has not been able to take hold. Taco Bell has tried and failed twice to open locations in Mexico, mainly because Mexicans do not recognize or relate to the food the fast-food chain offers. 

Taco Bell first tried to open a shop in Mexico City in 1992, before it became a global brand. People were curious so they went and tried the food, but didn't return. Taco Bell tried rebranding the items — instead of calling them tacos, it called them "tacostadas", a clever but misguided combination of the words taco and tostada. That didn't fly, as the item in question is not identified by Mexicans either as a taco or as a tostada. Taco Bell's food is a far cry from traditional recipes like tacos de carnitas, tacos al pastor, or something as simple as grilled street corn. Mexican historian Carlos Monsiváis nailed the issue when he said it was "like bringing ice to the Arctic" in Paula E. Morton's "Tortillas: A Cultural History."

In 2007, once it had conquered over 230 countries around the world, Taco Bell tried again, aiming for more affluent customers near a fancy shopping mall in a suburb of Monterrey. Its claim that Taco Bell was not a taqueria but a new fast-food alternative that does not pretend to be Mexican food didn't work either. People were not impressed by its "nacho fries" covered in meat and cheese — an attempt to add an "American" touch. By 2008 all shops were gone, and no attempt has been made to return since. Mexicans are very proud of their gastronomic heritage, and all agreed they didn't need this U.S. company to "run for the border". 

There are thousands of street stands and family-owned shops selling traditional food in the streets of Mexico. We call these street snacks "antojitos" (roughly translating as little cravings) and they are immensely better than Taco Bell's items, made with fresh ingredients from local markets rather than industrially packaged "refried" beans and "taco meat." Antojitos have been enjoyed in Mexico for centuries, many since pre-Columbian times; while most are based on corn, they are filled and topped with a wide variety of fresh ingredients — meats, cheese, beans, nopalitos (cactus pads), mushrooms, and freshly made salsas, offering truly different choices outside of lettuce, shredded cheddar, and sour cream.