Taco Bell in Mexico

From Manish's businessweek email:

"Graham Allan, president of Yum Brands International, says two years of market research have convinced him that Taco Bell will succeed south of the Rio Grande. American brands have cachet among Mexico's middle class, he says, adding that the chain's "Mexican-inspired" food is not attempting to pass itself off as local. "We're not trying to replicate the options consumers already have," he says.

Yum has traveled this road before. In China, besides its 1,940 KFC locations, it has eight East Dawning outlets. Their cuisine? Chinese.:


C'MON!!! That's fried chicken (and damn good chicken) in China. I can absolutely tell you that there is really nothing comparable in any regional Chinese cuisine. Mostly because traditional Chinese cuisine doesn't use those 11 secret herbs and spices. But I have to echo Michelle here..."Really. Hard-shell tacos in Mexico? C'mon now!"