Customer Reviews

Taco Titan: The Glen Bell Story

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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.

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!

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.

One might think a book containing Glen Bell's "recipes for success" would be primarily a business book; Taco Titan most definitely is not.

In Taco Titan, Baldwin through a mix of research, interviews with friends, family and Bell himself pieces together the Taco Titan's life, from early childhood living in near-poverty to the rise of Taco Bell and culminating with the establishment of Bell Gardens. Baldwin clearly has great admiration for Bell, and she certainly hits upon all of the key points in his (and Taco Bell's) life. The book is well written, easy to read, and the occasional use of suspense and foreshadowing makes it hard to put down.

Unfortunately, the entire story is presented as seen through rose-colored glasses. The book is a combination of biography and autobiography in the worst way. In an autobiography, the subject, reflecting on his or her life generally is somewhat introspective and points out things that they wish they had done differentially. In a biography, the biographer points out both the subject's success and failings. From reading this book, one would get the idea that everything in Bell's life simply fell into place. It mentions not one mistake nor any regrets on the part of Bell. Moreover the "recipes for success" at the end of each chapter seem to suggest that each experience was not only perfect, but a standard to be emulated. A number things that one might perceive as set backs are presented (such as when Bell, during his divorce, "gives" his entire net worth to his wife) but they are glossed over, and generally presented as a choice Bell made, not a product of circumstance.

Since this is the only book on Taco Bell, if you want to know about the company and its founder, it is the book to buy. Just don't expect to learn much more than a timeline of Bell's life from it.

When I was developing my business plan for my brokerage firm, I looked up various autobigraphies of others in the financial industry to get inside their head. One day I stumbled across this book. I was not convinced by the cover to read it, but I grabbed it anyway. Boy was I NOT disappointed!

From reading Glen Bell's story I discovered a lot of trivia about the taco business, like Glen Bell's invention of the taco ;)

But more importantly I took away five guiding points for my life and more importantly for my business.

1. Stay ultimately focused on your vision.
2. Keep expanding on your vision, as you grow so should it.
3. Don't be afraid to scream from the rooftops by promoting your business big.
4. Never let a little thing like money get in your way.
5. Those that can't see your vision, needn't be in your vision.

Great book for entrepreneurs who think they have it bad and can't see the light at the end of the tunnel, its there, Glen Bell proves it.

Glen Bell was a man trying to make his way in the fast food industry and was having no luck until he decided to abandon the hamburger route and start making Taco's. The start of Taco Bell is riddled with California fast food lore and makes for a very interesting read. It is hard to find the birth of Mexican fast food in other books and this really is the best account that we have. It is very well written although it could have used a little less focus on the charity at the end of the book and a little more on future prospects. Again though it is the best we have and well worth reading if you are interested in the fast food industry.

Who knew? The founder of Taco Bell grew up in poverty, rode the rails during the Great Depression, and had dreams of founding his own theme park (which he eventually did, in Southern California - Bell Gardens.)

Bell could have been a celebrity, but he's on the shy side. He never went to college, but ended up wealthy beyond his wildest dreams.

Bell's Recipes for Success are the reason he succeeded, and would work for anyone. (For example: "It's tempting to blame circumstances for your problems, but it's a waste of time. Instead, reach inside yourself. You'll come up with ways to cope and take pride in meeting the challenge.")

It's refreshing to read about a CEO who refused to compromise his ethics or step on people on his way up. Even Bell's competitors -- including founders of Del Taco and Wienerschnitzel -- recommend this book.

Bell's biography details the founding of Taco Bell and the chain's early days, but it is NOT primarily a business book. If you want the nuts and bolts of building a fast-food business, read "Behind the Golden Arches" about McDonalds.

What "Taco Titan" IS, is a great read. It's the story of an ordinary guy who, against all odds, did extraordinary things. You're right there with Bell, back in the 1940s and '50s, watching him sweat his way through one seemingly insurmountable challenge right after another.

Memorable characters add depth and interest to Bell's story: The the first franchisee, who quit the LAPD because his store took off. Bell's first wife, who insisted Mexican food was a waste of time. An early partner who happened to be Bing Crosby's son. Even Mac and Dick McDonald make a cameo appearance.

But the best character is Bell himself, the former hobo who, after he sold Taco Bell, bought an antique railway (complete with several steam engines) and turned it into a family fun park.

Bell's biography is encouraging, inspiring and entertaining. It gives a fascinating behind-the-scenes tour of a little known slice of American culinary history.

And although "Taco Titan" is not a how-to book, it's a must-read for anyone starting out in business, because it's about what REALLY counts: a CEO's character, ethics and never-quit attitude.

Compelling and well written story of a man who started in poverty and made his fortune providing the world with affordable quality tacos.

Mr. Bell's journey wasn't easy and always challenging. Debra Baldwin captured it and wrote it so that we can all participate. This is one of the few books that the folks at the service bureau, printer, and everyone else who touched it stopped and actually read. Mr Bell is a hero to each of us who has overcome adversity to attain our vision. It's a mini MBA, with heart and soul. Bravo, Debra Baldwin and we're fortunate for our association with Glen Bell.

I was very excited when I bought this book for some reason expecting to find out how a man single handedly turned a traditional mexican food into an American phenomenom. What I recieved was a rags to riches story with little business insight and a not so interesting story. Since Glen Bell was not one of the writers, the book barely goes through the thought processes he used to make different innovations and improve upon his restaraunt.
When explaining the development of the Taco Bell franchise the book seems like it skips major parts that are needed for the complete story. Somehow Taco Bell goes from a franchise that is struggling to get a loan and become profitable to going public, all within a few pages and little explanation. The book is overall poorly written, I believe that is an interesting story, but one that should have been told by Glen Bell, along with a better writer.
Also Glen Bell's 60 recipes for sucess are not a selling point for the book either. Most of the points are obvious and things that anybody considering becoming an entrepreneur should already know. While a few points are mildy thought provoking, the rest are so mundane that you will hardly feel the need to sit there and read his explanation of the obvious point.
If you are very interested in taco bell, maybe.....maybe you should buy this book. Otherwise save your money.