Date Visited: 16 June 2008 (Father's Day)Meal: Lunch
Diners: 3 - Me, Wendy, & Alicia
Experience: I haven't posted anything for about two weeks because we've been on the South Beach diet, phase 1 (the strictest phase). So no restaurant visits until today.
When you're in the mood for Mexican-style fast food in Leesburg, the basic choices are Taco Bell, California Tortilla, and Moe's. Today after church I had a hankerin' for Taco Bell, and it was OK because we're off the strictest part of the diet!
I had my all-time favorite, the #6 combo: two Chalupas (beef, supreme), one taco, and a drink. Wendy had the new Fresco Zesty Chicken Border Bowl (fairly South Beach-friendly at 8g fat + 350 calories), a Chalupa, and a drink. Alicia got two soft tacos, Cinnamon twists, and a drink.
The most interesting thing about Taco Bell is their history. It mostly happened in southern California where I grew up. As a little kid, I remember going to Taco Bell, and the old Mexican boy logo. I liked it even back then! Here's a short history of Taco Bell (summarized from their web site):
In 1946, at age 23, Glen Bell opened his first hot dog stand in San Bernardino, CA, called Bell's Drive-In. The sauce he developed for his chili dogs was the basis for Taco Bell's current taco sauce. He wanted to expand the menu, and had an interest in Mexican take-out, so he started a second location began to offer tacos. He basically invented the idea of commercially fried, ready-to-stuff taco shells. The taco stand did well, and Bell convinced business partner Ed Hackbarth to move out to Barstow, CA to run a second unit. Hackbarth later founded the Del Taco chain of restaurants. In 1954-55, Bell opened more stands, called Taco Tia, in San Bernardino, Redlands, and Riverside, CA. During the years 1956-58, he sold his interest in the Taco Tias and opened up a new chain of stands called El Taco, with locations in the Long Beach, CA area. John Gallardi, commisary manager for the El Tacos, was encouraged by Bell to go out on his own; Gallardi took the advice and started the successful Der Weinerschnitzel hot dog chain (the name was suggested by Bell's wife, Martha). In 1962, Bell sold his interest in all the El Tacos and opened the first Taco Bell in Downey, CA. Soon after, eight more in Long Beach, Paramount, and Los Angeles. In 1964, the first Taco Bell franchise opened in Torrance, CA (corner of Carson St. & Western Ave.), very near where I grew up in Harbor City. In 1969, Taco Bell finally went public. It was acquired by PepsiCo in 1978. In 1997, PepsiCo spun off Taco Bell, KFC, and Pizza Hut as Tricon Global Restaurants. In 2002, Tricon was renamed Yum! Brands, Inc., after acquiring Long John Silver's and A&W All-American Food Restaurants.
Location: 982 Edwards Ferry Rd. NE, Leesburg, VA, 20176
Web site: http://tacobell.com/
Total bill: $17.71
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