Taco Bell Failed In Mexico: Here's Why Chipotle Is Trying It Anyway

Chipotle is making its way south this month and opening a new location in Nuevo León, Monterrey, Mexico, in partnership with restaurant operator Alsea. Chipotle already has over 4,000 locations in operation, and while there are none currently in Mexico, the 2026 partnership with Alsea was created with the intention of opening multiple restaurants in Mexico.

In an r/Chipotle Reddit thread, some users find this latest endeavor to be a bold move on Chipotle's part. However, other commenters have full confidence that the chain will do well. One user wrote, "Lol people thinking this will fail. Monterrey is a heavy business area with tons of international businessmen. They are the audience, along with more affluent Monterrey businessmen looking for fresh, healthy food."

If Chipotle's time in Mexico goes anything like Taco Bell's, the location's operation will be brief. Taco Bell tried not once but twice to open restaurants in Mexico, and both times ended in failure. Taco Bell's first attempt was in 1992 in a Mexico City space shared with a KFC (at the time, both restaurants had the same parent company). The menu was changed in an effort to make the food more authentic to Mexico. The second attempt was a brick-and-mortar location that was opened in 2007 in the Monterrey area. Rather than pretending to be legit Mexican food, Taco Bell embraced being a United States-based restaurant but still failed due to low sales. Of course, whether you consider Chipotle a fast food restaurant or not, there are major differences between the two companies.

While Chipotle and Taco Bell are both chains with great vegetarian and vegan options, freshness and personalization aren't typically what come to mind when someone thinks about Taco Bell. On the other hand, Chipotle is known for offering fresh ingredients and the ability to make your meal your own. These differences are major factors in why Chipotle CEO Scott Boatwright thinks that the restaurant will do well in Mexico. "Our research has reinforced our belief that there is a strong interest in high-quality, freshly prepared food served with the customization and convenience that Chipotle offers," Boatwright said in a statement (via The Hill).

Taco Bell largely failed because it pretended to be authentic Mexican food in Mexico — where it could never dream of competing. Despite the Chipotle CEO being slammed for his response to shrinkflation claims, he could be correct about what Mexican consumers want from the chain. In the r/Chipotle Reddit post, one commenter pointed out that Chipotle's offerings are part of the allure, saying, "Chipotle will do better than Taco Bell because of its perception as a luxury, fresh-ingredient chain. Taco Bell was overpriced for highly processed food. Chipotle will also be overpriced but at least it's a 'premium' US brand (like Starbucks, Five Guys)." It seems that as long as Chipotle doesn't pretend to be anything other than what it is, the chances for success in Mexico are much greater than Taco Bell's.