Yesterday, my family and I tried Taco Bell in Malaysia for the first time to see what the fuss was about. Having lived in the US for a couple years, Taco Bell would be the place for food at 3am when my friends and I couldn't sleep and for those people who caught the drunk hunger around the same time from the surrounding bars, starting their own gathering in the parking lot.
Taco Bell wouldn't strike one as a really cool taco place everyone talks about but rather a $2 Taco place where some would succumb to the toilet later. You really only go there when you're desperate. However, whatever I had last Sunday really changed my mind a little. If you've never had Taco Bell in the U.S., great! If you have, go have a good one here. I mean, they taste the same here and there but the difference is that I got table service here (maybe because it's their opening day or I was hauling a huge camera around).
The process of gettin in was very systematic too; I would expect a huge line during an opening day, which there was, but not in the store. They had set aside a line for take-out customers and another for those who wished to dine-in. Of course the wait was rather long but they really had it all sorted out with limiting the amount of people in store due to the silly things that's been invading the lungs of many. We were given buzzers after we got our order in and the staff on site were very friendly and accommodating. We didn't have to wait long for our food to arrive too as there were a football team of people in the kitchen (payroll must've been woohoo).
Presentation of the food was almost exactly as what we've experienced across the pond; we got our meals in a good ol' basket and the Quesadilla came in the traditional wrap looking like it was flattened out by cars on the freeway. But I really loved how they tasted; imagine the good feeling of eating one, hammered, but this time you're sober and yet tasting those good flavors. I'd have to say everything was as expected. However, price wise, due to exchange rates, franchise fees, and payroll, It wouldn't serve its original purpose to literally feed everyone like Mac Donalds and KFC, but rather those who want to have something new from a foreign country. I don't have all the data and original reasoning for this so it's just an assumption. Anyway, here are some pictures:
Overall, I think you should go there! The food's great, service is superb, and it sure is a sustainable foreign fast-food chain. They currently have 2 other outlets in Cyberjaya and Cheras. I hope to see them gain some traction and open more stores to hopefully drop prices through volume and expanding throughout the country, making itself a mainstream and more accessible fast-food chain here in Malaysia. But we hope, we hope.
* All Images by Solace Photos*