Who Owns Taco Bell? Parent Company, History and Brands (2026)
Taco Bell is owned by Yum! Brands, a public company based in Louisville, Kentucky. Yum! has owned Taco Bell since it was spun off from PepsiCo in 1997, and Chris Turner has been the Yum! CEO since October 2025. Sean Tresvant leads Taco Bell as CEO of the Taco Bell Division. Most Taco Bell restaurants are run by franchisees, not by Yum! itself.
People often ask “taco bell parent company” or “is Taco Bell owned by Pepsi.” The answer to the second one is no, not any more. See the history below, then check the Taco Bell menu with prices for what it costs to eat there.
Taco Bell parent company: Yum! Brands
Yum! Brands is the parent company of Taco Bell, and its stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker YUM. The company lists its executive offices at 1441 Gardiner Lane in Louisville, while the Taco Bell Division headquarters is in Irvine, California.
So yes, Taco Bell is a public company in the sense that its parent is public. You cannot buy shares of Taco Bell alone. You would buy Yum! stock, which also covers KFC and Habit Burger & Grill.
Based on Yum!’s 2025 annual report (filed February 2026), the Taco Bell Division had 9,030 units in 38 countries and territories, and system sales were about $18.4 billion. The report lists Chris Turner as Yum! CEO since October 2025 and Sean Tresvant as Taco Bell Division CEO since January 2024.
Who founded Taco Bell?
Glen Bell founded Taco Bell in 1962 in Downey, California. Bell had run a hot dog stand called Bell’s Drive-In in San Bernardino in 1948 and later opened taco stands before settling on the Taco Bell name. The first Taco Bell sold tacos, burritos and other simple items from a small walk-up window.
The first franchise followed in the mid-1960s, and the chain grew across California and then to other states. According to Wikipedia, drive-thru service was not generally available until 1980.
Is Taco Bell owned by Pepsi?
Taco Bell is no longer owned by PepsiCo, but PepsiCo did own it for almost 20 years. PepsiCo bought Taco Bell from Glen Bell in 1978. In 1997 PepsiCo spun off its restaurant business as Tricon Global Restaurants, which held KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. Tricon changed its name to Yum! Brands in 2002.
The Pepsi link still shows up at the counter. Taco Bell restaurants serve Pepsi drinks, and that is part of why Mountain Dew Baja Blast is on the menu. Our menu lists drinks such as Baja Blast and Pepsi at about $3.49 for a large cup, and prices vary by location.
Taco Bell ownership timeline
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1948 | Glen Bell opens Bell’s Drive-In, a hot dog stand, in San Bernardino, California |
| 1962 | First Taco Bell opens in Downey, California |
| 1978 | PepsiCo buys Taco Bell from Glen Bell |
| 1997 | PepsiCo spins off its restaurants as Tricon Global Restaurants (October 1997) |
| 2002 | Tricon becomes Yum! Brands |
| 2016 | Yum! spins off its China business as Yum China |
| 2025 | Yum! buys 128 Taco Bell restaurants in the Southeast U.S. from a franchisee for $666 million |
| 2026 | Yum! completes the sale of Pizza Hut, ending that sister-brand link |
Taco Bell sister brands
Taco Bell’s sister brands today are KFC and Habit Burger & Grill. KFC is the biggest, with 33,897 units worldwide at the end of 2025, and Habit had 384 units. You can compare prices on the KFC menu and the Habit Burger menu.
Pizza Hut was a Yum! brand until 2026. Yum! announced in June 2026 that it would sell Pizza Hut for $2.7 billion in total. The sale of Pizza Hut outside mainland China to LongRange Capital closed on September 1, 2026, and the China business went to Yum China. Pizza Hut is no longer a Yum! sister brand, though you can still see prices on the Pizza Hut menu.
How many Taco Bell locations are franchised?
About 93% of Taco Bell units worldwide were franchised at the end of 2025, according to Yum!’s annual report. The company owned 8% of Taco Bell units in the U.S. at the end of 2025, before it counted later purchases.
The report says 86% of the 9,030 Taco Bell units are in the U.S., which works out to roughly 7,700 to 7,800 U.S. restaurants. That figure is our own calculation from the percentage, not a count Yum! printed.
Yum! has about 1,500 franchisees across all its brands, and franchisees range from single-restaurant owners to large public companies. Because franchisees set many local prices, costs differ by city. Read why in why Taco Bell is so cheap.
Who are the largest Taco Bell franchisees?
Yum! does not publish a ranked list of Taco Bell franchisees in its annual report, so we cannot name the largest with confidence. The report does say Yum China is Yum!’s largest franchisee overall, and it holds the rights to KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut in mainland China. In the U.S., Yum! bought 128 Southeast restaurants from one franchisee in late 2025, which shows how large some operators are.
What this means when you order
Ownership affects menu design, value deals and the app, but local prices come from the restaurant owner. For tips on ordering, read about the Taco Bell secret menu.
Frequently asked questions
Who owns Taco Bell?
Taco Bell is owned by Yum! Brands, based in Louisville, Kentucky. Yum! has owned it since the 1997 spin-off from PepsiCo, and most restaurants are run by franchisees.
Is Taco Bell owned by Pepsi?
No, Taco Bell is not owned by PepsiCo today. PepsiCo bought it in 1978 and spun it off in 1997 inside Tricon Global Restaurants, which became Yum! Brands in 2002. Taco Bell still serves Pepsi drinks.
What is the Taco Bell parent company?
The parent company is Yum! Brands, which trades on the NYSE as YUM. Its other brands today are KFC and Habit Burger & Grill, after the Pizza Hut sale in 2026.
Who founded Taco Bell?
Glen Bell founded Taco Bell in Downey, California in 1962. He had earlier run a hot dog stand and small taco stands in the San Bernardino area.
Who is the CEO of Taco Bell and Yum! Brands?
Sean Tresvant is CEO of the Taco Bell Division, and Chris Turner is CEO of Yum! Brands. Both are listed that way in Yum!’s annual report filed in February 2026.
Is Taco Bell a public company?
Taco Bell is not listed on its own, but its parent Yum! Brands is public. Yum! stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol YUM.
Is Taco Bell franchised?
Yes, about 93% of Taco Bell units worldwide were franchised at the end of 2025. Yum! owned 8% of U.S. Taco Bell units at that time.
Does Yum! still own Pizza Hut?
No, Yum! sold Pizza Hut in 2026. The sale to LongRange Capital closed on September 1, 2026, and the China business was sold to Yum China.
Prices are typical U.S. prices before tax and can vary by location. Menus Info is not affiliated with any restaurant mentioned. See how we check prices.
