This post is one in a series on prominent company nicknames. See all 25, and share your thoughts and memories about Taco Hell below in the comments.

Homer Simpson, when naming his first child, eliminated many monikers that he feared would invite rhyming nicknames (Screwy Louie, etc.) before choosing Bart (D'oh!). Combine this human propensity, the heat of Mexican food, and a soupçon of suspicion that low prices equal lower-quality ingredients, and the nickname for Taco Bell, Taco Hell, seems inevitable.

The YUM! Brands (NYSE: YUM) chain was born in the same town and at the same time as Mickey D's -- San Bernardino, California. There Glen Bell began selling 19-cent tacos, made possible by his innovation, using pre-fried taco shells. His restaurants, then know as Taco Tia, spread throughout southern California. In Redlands, the football L.A. Rams players who trained nearby began flocking to Bell's shop, and two of them became his first franchisees. In 1962, Bell sold out his share of the existing restaurants, now called El Tacos, and started Taco Bell. He took the company public in 1966 and sold his holdings to PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP) in 1975.

Shortly thereafter, the chain went international. It continued to grow thanks in part to savvy marketing, including one promotion offering a free taco to everyone in the U.S. if the Russian Mir space station, on its fall from orbit, were to hit a floating taco target in the Pacific. (It didn't.)

Continue reading Company nicknames: Taco Bell, a circle of Taco Hell?

Company nicknames: Taco Bell, a circle of Taco Hell? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 10 Aug 2008 12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.