Taco Bell test restaurant could open early next year
Friday, 15 December 2017
Taco Bell could be on its way to New Zealand in just a few months.
Kiwi fast food giant Restaurant Brands took over Taco Bell and Pizza Hut in Hawaii, in a $146 million deal last year.
At the time, Restaurant Brands chief financial officer Grant Ellis said: 'Does this mean Taco Bell is coming to New Zealand? The short answer is no, not right at the moment … but the opportunity is definitely there.'
The opportunity may have arrived.
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Speaking to RNZ on Friday morning chief executive Russel Creedy said a trial Taco Bell store was possible in the new year after the success of the one Taco Bell in Australia.
He said market research would need to be done first.
Restaurant Brands posted a 45 per cent increase in third-quarter sales on Thursday, due in large part to Taco Bell and Pizza Hut sales in Hawaii, Guam and Saipan and from KFC stores in Sydney, Australia.
Sales rose US$173 million (NZ$248m) in the three months to December 4 from US$119m in the same period last year.
In September, the fast food company opened a NZ$1.6m KFC in Fort Street, Auckland with a new format, self-serve kiosks and no drive through.
The company said the store was so successful it would be a prototype for new central city stores in 2018.
Restaurant Brands has been contacted for comment.