19 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"60 Recipes for Success" apply to all service businesses, May 22, 1999
This review is from: Taco Titan: The Glen Bell Story (Hardcover)
In the '60s, America was on the go like never before, and wherever people went, fast food followed. But in a growing world of hot dog stands and copycat burger joints, one name stood out from the rest: Taco Bell. Yet Taco Bell strained the patience and pocketbook of its founder, year after year. A menu with no buns or mustard was challenge enough. Add the fact that lenders and investors called Mexican fast food a fad.
And few people outside the Hispanic community knew what a taco was. "I'll have two TAKE-OHS, please." Clearly, this was a concept ahead of its time. Most men would have quit, but Taco Bell's founder refused to abandon his dream. With grit and determination, he made himself and those who shared his vision millionaires, and turned his little walk-up restaurant concept into one of the most popular brand names in America.
This is the story of Glen W. Bell, Jr.
As a young man, Glen had no money. During the '30s, he rode the rails and went door to door in search of honest work and a hard-earned dollar.
From these hardscrabble root grew the passion and desire of a tireless entrepreneur. A man who understood the customer and worked day and night to build a business backed by little more than the proceeds from the sale of a used refrigerator. A man who poured his own concrete and fried his own tortillas. The business grew, in part because the food was good and different and priced right. But in largest part because Glen--in his quiet, confident manner--had a way of attracting a breed of people who understood his vision. As a result, he helped employees, managers and franchisees carve out their own pieces of the American dream. Today, Taco Bell has some 7,000 restaurants, more than 175,000 employees, and serves millions of customers weekly.
Savory, crunchy "TAKE-OHS" have become mainstream American food. Yet Taco Bell remains a rebellious, hard-working, entrepreneurial company that loves to battle the burger, just like its founder taught it to. This compelling portrait by award-winning writer Debra Lee Baldwin includes insights from a self-professed "unremarkable man" who overcame the odds to achieve a remarkable thing. His story and his "60 Recipes for Success" are not reserved for a select few. Rather, a treasure awaits anyone with the passion and determination to pursue his or her dream.
As a literary agent, I feel privileged to have worked closely with Mr. Bell and Ms. Baldwin to get this book published.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A tribute to tenacity, March 29, 2003
This review is from: Taco Titan: The Glen Bell Story (Hardcover)
This was an inspiring read to me. Glen Bell like Wendy's founder Dave Thomas did not have an easy childhood. Both developed and appreciated the values of hard work at an early age and this book shows that nice guys do finish first. While it is a very light fast read unlike a book about someone like Dr. Linus Pauling. This book teaches one that if you have an idea you should pursue it relentlessly and deal with everyone fairly as Glen did. Glen Bell never started out to be the richest or most famous person in the fast food business but he made major contributions to the industy with his ideas and simple honest values. While I continue to eat at upscale mexican restaurants frequently I do confess to eating at Taco Bell on a weekly basis. Thank you Glen Bell!
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
More than a business book, January 5, 2003
This review is from: Taco Titan: The Glen Bell Story (Hardcover)
This is much more than a book about a business. It's the story of a likeable man whose remarkable success parallels that of American capitalism during the 20th century.
The Bell behind Taco Bell is an outstanding role model. Like Horatio Alger's rags-to-riches novels, Glen Bell's life illustrates the virtues of honesty, diligence and perseverance.
This book has the potential to positively influence thousands of young people. It takes something they like and are familiar with, and shows why and how it all began. Taco Titan belongs in libraries across America, especially those frequented by high school and college students.
Unlike dry business books, Taco Titan puts the founder's life in the context of America's most challenging and prosperous century. We follow Bell from the Depression, through World War II, and his remarkable entrepreneurial achievements with Taco Bell, to his creative response to an enviable dilemma: What should a newly made multimillionaire do with all that money?
Taco Titan details every step Bell took, from initial concept to national franchising. We experience his decision making process, step-by-step, including the cloak-and-dagger details of the sale of Taco Bell to PepsiCo.
Bell's "Recipes for Success" would make a good Hippocratic Oath for managers and entrepreneurs. They're a basic blueprint for ethical business practices.
Taco Titan is entertaining even if you don't care about fast food or starting a business. It illustrates how the principles that made America great can be put into practice. But beyond that, it's fun and easy to read. You follow Bell into a different place and time, one less complex and more innocent, and once there, you don't want to leave.
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