Taco Bell is a Mexican-inspired quick-service restaurant (QSR) chain founded by Glen Bell in 1962. Today, Taco Bell is part of Yum! Brands and operates a mostly franchised global system spanning thousands of locations.
For restaurant brands, the most useful “size” metrics aren’t app downloads or social followers—they’re restaurants (unit count), system sales (total sales across the entire system, including franchise locations), and customer traffic. The numbers below focus on verifiable, regularly cited KPIs and clearly label the year so older stats don’t get mistaken for current ones.
Answer box: Taco Bell ended 2025 with 9,030 restaurants worldwide and generated $18.361 billion in global system sales in 2025 (up from $17.193B in 2024). Yum! also states Taco Bell serves 40M+ customers weekly in the U.S. Taco Bell’s domestic business is highly franchised—about 94% franchise-operated—and the brand opened 376 gross new restaurants in 2025 across 27 countries.
Key metrics table (latest available)
System sales and restaurant counts below are from Yum! Brands’ Q4 2025 earnings release (reported Feb. 4, 2026). Other metrics are included only when they’re clearly sourced and time-stamped.
| Metric | Value | Year / Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurants (global) | 9,030 | FY 2025 (reported Feb 2026) | Yum! Brands earnings release (PDF) |
| Restaurants (global) | 8,757 | FY 2024 | Yum! Brands earnings release (PDF) |
| Global system sales | $18.361B | FY 2025 | Yum! Brands earnings release (PDF) |
| Global system sales | $17.193B | FY 2024 | Yum! Brands earnings release (PDF) |
| Same-store sales growth | +7% | FY 2025 | Yum! Brands earnings release (PDF) |
| Weekly customers (U.S.) | 40M+ per week | Company-stated (ongoing) | Yum! Brands (brands page) |
| Franchised share (domestic) | ~94% franchise-operated | As of June 30, 2025 | S&P Global Ratings |
| New restaurants opened (gross) | 376 | FY 2025 | Yum! Brands earnings release (PDF) |
| Countries with new restaurant openings | 27 countries | FY 2025 | Yum! Brands earnings release (PDF) |
Fun facts (quick history)
- Founded: 1962
- Founder: Glen Bell
- Parent company: Yum! Brands
- Business model: Primarily franchised (domestic business ~94% franchise-operated)
FAQ
How many Taco Bell restaurants are there?
Taco Bell reported 9,030 restaurants worldwide for FY 2025 (reported Feb. 4, 2026).
How much money does Taco Bell make per year?
Taco Bell’s brand reporting typically uses system sales (sales across all restaurants, including franchise stores). Taco Bell reported $18.361B in global system sales for FY 2025.
How many customers does Taco Bell serve?
Yum! Brands states Taco Bell serves 40M+ customers each week in the U.S.
Is Taco Bell mostly franchised?
Yes. Taco Bell is a heavily franchised system; a ratings presale note stated franchisees represented 94% of Taco Bell’s domestic business as of June 30, 2025.
What’s the difference between “system sales” and “revenue”?
System sales are total sales across all restaurants (franchise + company-owned). Revenue at the parent company level is usually franchise royalties, fees, and sales from company-owned stores—so it’s much smaller than system sales.