Taco Bell is owned by Yum! Brands (the United States, NYSE: YUM), which was separated from PepsiCo on 6 October 1997.[1][2] Before Yum! Brands, Taco Bell was owned by PepsiCo from 1978 to 1997.[2]
Taco Bell was founded in California in 1962 by Glen Bell, who had watched the queues at a Mexican restaurant opposite his hot dog stand and worked out how to make hard-shell tacos quickly. PepsiCo acquired it in 1978 and it moved to Yum in 1997.
PepsiCo spun off its restaurant business as Tricon Global Restaurants, taking KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell out of the drinks and snacks company. PepsiCo had found that operating restaurants competed for capital with its packaged goods brands and complicated its relationships with other chains. Tricon renamed itself Yum! Brands in 2002.
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Frequently asked questions
Who is the parent company of Taco Bell?
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The parent company of Taco Bell is Yum! Brands, a publicly listed company headquartered in the United States.
Is Taco Bell American?
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Yes. Taco Bell originated in the United States in 1962 and its owner, Yum! Brands, is also headquartered in the United States.
Since when has Yum! Brands owned Taco Bell?
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Yum! Brands has owned Taco Bell since 6 October 1997.
Who owned Taco Bell before Yum! Brands?
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Before Yum! Brands, Taco Bell was owned by PepsiCo from 1978 until 1997.
Is Taco Bell still owned by Yum! Brands?
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Yes. As of 16 September 2026, Taco Bell is still owned by Yum! Brands. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Sources (2) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.