Yum Brands Opens Its First Taco Bell Location in Thailand

In the latest move by Yum Brands to further expand its Asian presence, the company announced it would open its first outlet in Thailand, in Bangkok.

Adapting the brand to local tastes, the restaurant will introduce new items with local flavors including an extra-spicy sauce to compete with the multiple quick-service chains and higher-end Mexican restaurants in the city center. It also will be serving Thai beer brands Singha and Chang, as well as Philippines beer San Miguel Light.

Yum's Thai franchise partner, Thoresen Thai Agencies, is owned by the billionaire Mahagitsiri family, a shipping company that branched out in 2018 into the food and beverage business with Pizza Hut, another QSR brand owned by Yum.

"Taco Bell will appeal to the young generation, particularly Millennials," said Chalermchai Mahagitsiri, CEO of Thoresen Thai Agencies.

Taco Bell's Asia Pacific's managing director, Ankush Tuli, said Thailand's "strong food culture, adventurous spirit and appetite for trying new things" make it a good market for the brand. The size of the fast-food sector in Thailand is set to climb 22 percent to $4.3 billion by 2022, according to estimates from Euromonitor International.

Taco Bell, which has nearly 7,000 outlets in the U.S., has 450 restaurants outside the U.S., almost 100 of them in the Asia-Pacific region.

Taco Bell opened its first store in China in 2016, and last year signed a deal to expand in New Zealand and Australia.