Glen William Bell Jr. (September 3, 1923 – January 16, 2010) was an American entrepreneur who founded the Taco Bell chain of restaurants.

Biography

Glen Bell was born in Lynwood, California, to Glen William Bell Sr. and Ruth Elizabeth Bell ( née Johnson). His parents were born in the Midwest with his mother having been born in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota and his father in

Franklin County, Iowa Franklin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,019. The county seat is Hampton. The county was formed on January 15, 1851 and named after Benjamin Franklin. Geography According to ...

. Bell's mother Ruth was born to a half Swedish father and a predominantly

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

mother. His father Glen Sr. was born to a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

father and predominantly English mother, Glen also had

colonial New England The New England Colonies of British America included Connecticut Colony, the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Massachusetts Bay Colony, Plymouth Colony, and the Province of New Hampshire, as well as a few smaller short-lived colo ...

ancestry through both his parents families. Bell graduated from

San Bernardino High School San Bernardino High School (SBHS) is an American public high school and city located at 1850 North E Street within San Bernardino, California and a member of the San Bernardino City Unified School District. SBHS was granted charter as a city in 196 ...

in 1941. He served in the

U.S. Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through co ...

as a cook during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. After the Marines he started his first hot dog stand 'Bell's Drive-In', in San Bernardino in 1948. In 1952, he sold the hot dog stand and built a second location selling hot dogs and

hamburger A hamburger, or simply burger, is a food consisting of fillings—usually a patty of ground meat, typically beef—placed inside a sliced bun or bread roll. Hamburgers are often served with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, bacon, ...

s. He soon started selling tacos at a taco stand named Taco-Tia at 19 cents each from a side window. Between 1954 and 1955, he opened three Taco Tias in the San Bernardino area, eventually selling those restaurants and opening four El Tacos with a partner in the

Long Beach Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporat ...

area. Glen Bell learned how to make tacos from the Mitla Café in San Bernardino. In 1962, he went solo and sold the El Tacos to his partner and opened his first Taco Bell in Downey, California. Bell franchised his restaurant in 1964. His company grew rapidly, and the 868-restaurant chain was later sold to PepsiCo in 1978 for $125 million in stock.

West Side and Cherry Valley Railroad

In the late 1970s, Bell opened a tourist railroad at Tuolumne, California. This gauge railroad used the lower section of the track and several steam locomotives of the West Side Lumber Company railway. The operation offered boat rides on the old mill pond and RV parking. In the initial plan, there were themed areas of the park with restaurants and stores. Glen Bell was able to locate and purchase old equipment (trains, cars, water towers, etc.) that were used in logging operations and brought to the park. It closed in the early 1980s after falling traffic. The property was eventually sold off to the Tuolumne tribe of the Mi Wuk Indians who have developed the land including event grounds that have hosted big name concerts including

Pat Benatar Patricia Mae Giraldo ('' née'' Andrzejewski, formerly Benatar; born January 10, 1953), known professionally as Pat Benatar, is an American rock singer and songwriter. In the United States, she has had two multi-platinum albums, five platinum al ...

, Melissa Etheridge, Smokey Robinson, Peter Frampton, Bad Company and other touring acts.

Death

Bell died from

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms beco ...

on January 16, 2010, at age 86 in Rancho Santa Fe, California, leaving his wife, Martha, two sons, one daughter, four grandchildren, and three sisters.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Glen American food company founders Fast-food chain founders Taco Bell Businesspeople from California 1923 births 2010 deaths United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II People from Lynwood, California People from Rancho Santa Fe, California 20th-century American businesspeople American people of English descent American people of German descent American people of Swedish descent Deaths from Parkinson's disease Neurological disease deaths in California