Taco Bell is acting on its own long-standing imperative to run for the border, but as it re-enters Mexico, it’s not trying to pass as traditional—instead maxing out its American identity. The restaurant has its first Mexican branch since a failed 1990s incursion, but adding french fries to the menu hasn’t fended off early insults, the Canadian Press reports.
“They’re not tacos,” said one dissatisfied customer. “They’re very ugly.” Known in the US for promoting itself as authentic Mexican cuisine, Taco Bell didn’t catch on in Mexico the first time around. But in the NAFTA age, Mexico is overrun with fast food, and Taco Bell is hoping to replicate the success of KFC, Chili's, and, of course, Starbucks. (More Mexico stories.)