Where's the Beef?  Column by Michael Kleen. Exclusive to STR By
all accounts, Taco Bell is a story of success. Since Glen Bell
opened the first Taco Bell in Downey, California in 1962, the
franchise has expanded to 6,446 restaurants with over 175,000
employees worldwide. In 2009, the company (which is currently
owned by Yum! Brands) brought in $1.9 billion in revenue. It is
no secret why this restaurant has experienced such growth. Like
its rivals in the fast food industry, Taco Bell specializes in
offering meals to its customers at the cheapest possible price.
Today, the company is under attack by a publicity-seeking law
firm and a media that is all-too-eager to exploit any potential
controversy, no matter how frivolous. What should be a story
about how a private business feeds millions of people for what
amounts to pocket change is instead a pseudo-investigation into
what qualifies as ground beef. No one has ever gone into a Taco
Bell under the illusion that they were purchasing quality food,
because we are