Taco Bell not coming to NZ despite billboard (probably)

Restaurant Brands has denied that it is behind a newly-erected sign in Auckland's Ponsonby saying 'reading "Taco Bell - Because Ponsonby Road needs another Mexican restaurant.' Restaurant Brands has long been regarded as the favourite to bring the Mexican food franchise to New Zealand, as it has rights to other franchises in the Yum! Brands stable such as Pizza Hut and KFC, but has denied any knowledge of the sign. It said it was evaluating the possibility of launching Taco Bell here in 2011 and again in 2013 following the success of Mexicali Fresh and other Mexican-style outlet. The sign looks quite professional, though...

Taco Bell has found it difficult to gain traction in any market outside North America, with failed attempts in markets as diverse as China, Poland, Singapore, the UK and even Mexico itself. Taco Bell opened in Australia in 1997 with a stand-alone store and a few store-within-a-store concepts in KFC branches, but by 2005 they had all gone.