Taco Bell celebrated its 60th anniversary on Thursday at the building where it all started in 1962 — sort of.
The Irvine-based chain threw a party for itself in the parking lot of its headquarters in Irvine where the first Taco Bell restaurant, dubbed Numero Uno, was relocated in 2015.
The 400-square foot structure was sitting on a chassis between two portable stages and had transport cases for sound equipment shoved underneath it.
The party was called Live Más Music Feast-For-All. It featured live music with headliners Mobley and LP Giobbi as well as a disc jockey spinning pop hits to a slide show of images from the fast food chain’s 60 years in existence. Several hundred invited guests attended the event, including franchisees, Orange County dignitaries and social media influencers.
They were fed by half a dozen food trucks, many doing their own interpretations of Taco Bell food. Yeastie Boys served a tribute of Mexican Pizza, Taco Bell’s current craze, on a half a bagel, while Pablito’s Tacos was handing out foil-wrapped burritos made with chile rellano, Taco Bell meat, and a mixture of its own and Taco Bell sauces.
Presenting a resolution proclaiming June “Live Mas Day,” Orange County Fifth District Supervisor Lisa Bartlett described Taco Bell founder Glen Bell as bringing tacos into a hamburger world in 1962.
Taco Bell now serves 1.1. billion customers with nearly 8,000 restaurants in 32 countries, according to a news release.
In opening remarks, Chief Executive Officer Mark King called it an amazing accomplishment.
Taco Bell’s actual anniversary was on March 21. That’s the day Bell opened Numero Uno at 7126 Firestone Blvd., Downey. Although Taco Bell closed its restaurant there in 1986, the structure survived. In 2015, Taco Bell moved it to its Irvine headquarters to keep it from being demolished. It has been stored there ever since and has been “gently restored with the essence of the building intact,” the news release said.
Leading a champagne toast to the anniversary, Chief Operating Officer Mike Grams said Numero Uno will be relocated again and “incorporated into a new restaurant design” somewhere in California.
“Numero Uno will live on and be part of our permanent future at Taco Bell,” he said.
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