First Taco Bell restaurant opens in Bangalore

Pizza Hut owner Yum! Brands today opened its first Taco Bell in India in Bangalore. Yum! also owns the Kentucky fried Chicken (KFC).

The opening of Taco Bell, the second most profitable brand in the United States, also marks Yum!'s effort to create its third global brand, after  Pizza Hut and KFC.

So far Taco Bell has been expanded beyond Canada and Puerto Rico to a sprinkling of markets like Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama, Dominican Republic, Guam, Iceland, Philippines, Dubai, Spain and Cyprus.

''We''re delighted to be offering Taco Bell to consumers in India, a key growth market in our global portfolio,'' said Graham Allan, president, Yum! Restaurants International. ''Based on customer feedback so far, we expect it will become extremely popular, just as it is in the United States.

Mexican-style food is perfect for the Indian taste palate and we will be offering a variety of vegetarian meals as well so that everyone can enjoy it.''

Taco Bell's ''Think Outside the Bun'' positioning and brand essence is expected to resonate extremely well with young, affluent urban consumers.

The new Taco Bell India menu features tacos, burritos, nachos, quesadillas and Crunchwraps, including spicier products tailored to the Indian market.

The menu offers items starting at 35 cents. In addition, 50 per cent of the menu features a vegetarian range of products specially created for Indian consumers including potato paneer burritos and crunchy potato tacos, among others.

''We are confident that Taco Bell will redefine the eating-out market in India with incredible taste catering to many consumer segments, day parts and occasions at an unmatched price,'' said Niren Chaudhary, managing director, Yum! Restaurants International India.