ROMANIA IS KILOMETER 0 ON THE TACO BELL BRAND MAP

The launch also marks the entry of the Southern California brand into Central and Eastern Europe, being the first Taco Bell location within a radius of 1,028 kilometers in the region. Fans will be able to enjoy Mexican-inspired products in the Băneasa Shopping City shopping center in Bucharest.

Taco Bell is part of the Yum! Brands and is the world’s leading fast-food restaurant chain offering Mexican-inspired products. Its presence on the Romanian market is managed by Sphera Franchise Group, the exclusive local operator of the other two major restaurant chains in the Yum! Brands: KFC and Pizza Hut. Preparations for this launch began in February 2016, when a thorough market study showed that Romania is a market with great potential for the California brand.

“Launched this year, Sphera Franchise Group now includes the entire Yum! Brands, with the opening of the first Taco Bell restaurant. It was, therefore, a natural step for us to consider and analyze the bringing of the Mexican-inspired brand to Romania. In the first phase, we started an extensive research, carried out with the help of Kantar Millward Brown, one of the main research groups in the world. The specialized study confirmed to us that Romania is the ideal place for Taco Bell, that Romanians know about the brand, some of them having the opportunity to try the products beforehand, and that they want to enjoy them in the country as well. We are therefore pleased to announce the launch, all the more so as it is the only Taco Bell within a radius of 1,208 kilometers in Central and Eastern Europe, ”said Mark Hilton, CEO of Sphera Franchise Group.

“Taco Bell is known around the world as an inventor of urban tastes, offering consumers unique and bold flavors through its Mexican-inspired menu. We are glad that Taco Bell is finally reaching a market where fans have been actively asking for the brand to come to their country for a long time and we are eager for them to enjoy our original tastes and products. Sphera Franchise Group and the local team are the perfect partners to bring the spirit of #livemas to Romania for the first time “, said Billy Grenham, Senior Global Marketing Manager, Taco Bell.

The first Taco Bell restaurant in Romania opens in Băneasa Shopping City (Șoseaua București-Ploiești, no. 42A, sector 1, Bucharest), one of the largest shopping and entertainment centers in the capital and in the country, following an investment of 350,000 Of euro. A 40-member team will ensure that the restaurant’s operations and activities run smoothly, which also means an additional 40 new jobs for the local economy.

The Taco Bell restaurant will be located on the ground floor of the mall, in the food court area, and will be distinguished by a 170 square meter lounge, available exclusively to Taco Bell customers. The design of the restaurant follows the global model Global Explorer which includes an open kitchen, which allows customers to see how the ordered products are prepared, furniture with options for seats at tables or sofas, USB sockets that customers can use to charge mobile devices while relaxing, as well as Wi-Fi internet access.

The menu includes a variety of Mexican-inspired products, such as Crunchy Taco, Fajita Burrito, Nachos Supreme and the famous CrunchwrapTM, all prepared with the highest quality ingredients. Customers are encouraged to customize their dishes by choosing the type of product (Taco, Burrito, Quesadilla, Crunchwrap or Bowl), the type of meat (chicken, pork or beef), the garnish (Nachos or french fries) and the favorite sauce (Mild, Hot or Fire).