Taco Bell to reportedly break ground in Indonesia

US-based Mexican fast food chain Taco Bell is eyeing the Indonesian market and plans to set foot locally this April. According to The Jakarta Post, Fast Food Indonesia (FAST), the firm that operates KFC in Indonesia, has acquired the licence to open the Taco Bell franchise locally.

Its director JD Juwono said it will launch five stores in Jakarta for the first 12 months, targeting the middle class, adding that about US$300k to US$500k in investments is required to develop the restaurant. Quoting him, The Jakarta Post said Taco Bell was chosen because of its "good and healthy" products. Taco Bell specialises in Mexican food such as quesadillas, tacos, and burritos. Marketing Interactive has reached out to FAST for comment.

Separately at the beginning of this month, Taco Bell said it is making all consumer-facing packaging recyclable, compostable or reusable by 2025 worldwide. By 2025, in Taco Bell restaurants across the globe, the brand aims to make all consumer-facing packaging recyclable, compostable or reusable. Recycling and/or composting bins will be added to all restaurants, where infrastructure permits, and PFAS, Phthalates and BPA will be removed from all consumer-facing packaging materials.

The company added that it will continue to champion easy and accessible vegetarian options worldwide. These new commitments continue the trend of purpose-focused innovation at Taco Bell over the last decade. They include becoming one of the first fast food chains to post full nutrition information online and serve cage-free eggs certified by American Humane.

Meanwhile, in Thailand, Taco Bell made its mark with hundreds of fans gathering the night before, hoping to be among the first 100 customers to receive limited edition Taco Bell merchandise and the chance to win free tacos for a year. Taco Bell worked in partnership with its franchise Siam Taco, a joint venture between Thoresen Thai Agencies Public (TTA) and food and beverage operator, the Mahagitsiri family, to open the Bangkok location. Taco Bell plans to open 40 Thailand restaurants by the year 2022.

Taco Bell’s first Thailand restaurant is located in Bangkok on the first floor of Mercury Ville mall. The Mercury Ville Taco Bell features an urban-concept design that embodies the business and shopping community of central Bangkok. The 60-seat restaurant features an open kitchen and modern design benches, and also creates a community entertainment atmosphere with real-time crowd-sourced music and video playlist selections.