U.S. fast food chain Taco Bell plans to double its international footprint with Asian markets. In an effort to increase overseas growth and awareness about Mexican cuisine, the brand operated by Yum! Brands most recently entered the Thai market with an outlet in Bangkok that opened in late January 2019.
Taco Bell’s previous rollouts in Asian markets have proven somewhat been unsuccessful. An early franchise operation in Japan closed in the 1980s, although it reappeared in the territory four years ago. The brand also withdrew from Singapore in 2009.
“Consumers weren’t ready in terms of awareness and the brand wasn’t positioned right at the time”, said president of Taco Bell International Liz Williams.
The brand now expects to do well in Asian territory as more of the international young population gains a “heightened awareness” of Mexican food.
Taco Bell, which sells tacos and burritos, has added new flavors and items for local markets citing that its signature sauce was modified for its new store in Thailand.
“We’ve amped them up significantly,” Williams said, because Taco Bell’s already existing sauces were not hot enough for Thai palette.
Over in Japan, a new Taco Bell restaurant opened in Osaka’s famous Umeda neighborhood at the end of January, and the company celebrated by offering a special Okonomiyaki-flavored Burrito.
This delightful Japan-original concoction — a mixture of flour, eggs, shredded cabbage, pickled ginger, cooked over a teppan grill, then topped with a special sauce, some mayonnaise, some bonito flakes — is being labeled as a “handheld okonomiyaki.”
By: Maytinee Kramer
