Call & Times

Taco Bell designer, ex-president Robert McKay dies at 86

-

TUSTIN, Calif. (AP) — Robert L. McKay, who designed the first Taco Bell restaurant and with founder Glen Bell turned it from a quirky food stand into a fastfood empire, has died.

McKay, 86, died last week from cancer in Orange County, California, said his son Rob McKay.

Bell opened his first Taco Bell in Downey, California, in 1962, selling hard-shell tacos and other Mexicanins­pired fast food. McKay, an architect, designed the Spanish- style arched and tiled building that became the chain's signature look.

Intrigued by the fast-food concept, McKay closed his architectu­ral firm and joined Taco Bell, eventually becoming president.

He helped familiariz­e American consumers with then-exotic Mexican dishes like tacos and burritos by introducin­g menus with phonetic pronunciat­ions of food items and descriptio­ns of each product's ingredient­s.

McKay embraced the concept of franchisin­g, which led to rapid expansion of the company.

Taco Bell had around 900 restaurant­s when it was sold to PepsiCo in 1978 for $125 million in stock.

"Still today, Taco Bell's architectu­re of the 60's and 70's remains as one of the most recognizab­le and iconic designs of the era," Taco Bell said in a statement Friday. "Not only did McKay play a significan­t role in the exterior look and feel of Taco Bell, his work as a close friend to Glen and eventual company president helped drive much of the growth and success of the global brand we know today."

After retiring from Taco Bell in the early 1980s, McKay went on to finance other businesses that invested in technology, consumer products, real estate and banking, his family said.

McKay is survived by his wife, Meagan; his sons, Rob and John; and five grandchild­ren.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States