Quick Facts: Taco Bell
| Owner | Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM) |
| Ownership Type | Public subsidiary |
| Yum! Brands CEO | David Gibbs |
| Founded | 1962 (Glen Bell, Downey, California) |
| Headquarters | Irvine, California, USA |
| Sister Brands | KFC, Pizza Hut, The Habit Burger Grill |
| Locations | 8,000+ worldwide |
| Yum! NYSE Ticker | NYSE: YUM |
| Publicly Traded | Yes (via parent Yum! Brands, NYSE: YUM) |
Who Owns Taco Bell?
Taco Bell is owned by Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE: YUM), one of the world’s largest quick-service restaurant companies. Yum! Brands also owns KFC, Pizza Hut, and The Habit Burger Grill. Taco Bell itself is not separately listed on any stock exchange — it operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Yum! Brands, which is a publicly traded company. David Gibbs serves as President and CEO of Yum! Brands. Taco Bell was founded in 1962 by Glen Bell in Downey, California, before being acquired and grown into a global franchise giant. Yum! Brands was spun off from PepsiCo in 1997 and has been independently operated as a public company since.
About Yum! Brands
Yum! Brands is a Louisville, Kentucky-based restaurant company that operates some of the world’s most recognizable fast-food franchises. It was created in 1997 when PepsiCo spun off its restaurant holdings — at the time called Tricon Global Restaurants — which included Taco Bell, KFC, and Pizza Hut. The company rebranded as Yum! Brands in 2002. As of 2026, Yum! Brands operates or franchises over 55,000 restaurants in more than 155 countries, with Taco Bell being its most commercially successful and culturally prominent brand in the United States. Yum! China was spun off as a separate public company in 2016 to manage the China market independently.
Key Ownership Highlights
- Taco Bell is a wholly owned subsidiary of Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM). There is no separate stock ticker for Taco Bell itself.
- Taco Bell was founded by Glen Bell in Downey, California in 1962 and was later acquired by PepsiCo before becoming part of the Yum! Brands spinoff in 1997.
- David Gibbs is President and CEO of Yum! Brands, the parent company of Taco Bell, KFC, Pizza Hut, and The Habit Burger Grill.
- Taco Bell operates over 8,000 restaurants globally and is the #1 Mexican-inspired quick-service restaurant brand in the United States.
- Yum! Brands is publicly traded on the NYSE under the ticker YUM — investors who want exposure to Taco Bell can purchase shares of Yum! Brands.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who owns Taco Bell?
Taco Bell is owned by Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM), the publicly traded restaurant conglomerate that also owns KFC and Pizza Hut. David Gibbs is the CEO of Yum! Brands.
Is Taco Bell publicly traded?
Taco Bell itself is not publicly traded. Its parent company, Yum! Brands, is listed on the NYSE under the ticker YUM. Purchasing Yum! Brands shares gives investors indirect exposure to Taco Bell.
Who founded Taco Bell?
Taco Bell was founded by Glen Bell in 1962 in Downey, California. He opened the first Taco Bell location and subsequently franchised the concept, which was later acquired by PepsiCo and eventually became part of Yum! Brands.
What other brands does Yum! Brands own?
Yum! Brands owns Taco Bell, KFC, Pizza Hut, and The Habit Burger Grill. It is one of the largest quick-service restaurant companies in the world by number of locations.