Taco Titan: The Glen Bell Story Hardcover – February 1, 1999

This was an inspiring read to me. Glen Bell like Wendy's founder Dave Thomas did not have an easy childhood. Both developed and appreciated the values of hard work at an early age and this book shows that nice guys do finish first. While it is a very light fast read unlike a book about someone like Dr. Linus Pauling. This book teaches one that if you have an idea you should pursue it relentlessly and deal with everyone fairly as Glen did. Glen Bell never started out to be the richest or most famous person in the fast food business but he made major contributions to the industy with his ideas and simple honest values. While I continue to eat at upscale mexican restaurants frequently I do confess to eating at Taco Bell on a weekly basis. Thank you Glen Bell!

A fascinating story about will and determination from a person of meager backround who continually strives to better his product and restaurants . He never gave up and was successful and tried to help others in their endeveaurs. A man who got great satisfaction in the acomplishments of others. Truly a hero by any standard.

Very interesting. I grew up in Southern Calif and I remembered many of the early restaurants mentioned

My wife loves the book

Great book on American business. One to keep in your personal library.

My son is now a senior exec in a Taco Bell Chain so this was a great gift for him.

Compelling and well written story of a man who started in poverty and made his fortune providing the world with affordable quality tacos.

One might think a book containing Glen Bell's "recipes for success" would be primarily a business book; Taco Titan most definitely is not.In Taco Titan, Baldwin through a mix of research, interviews with friends, family and Bell himself pieces together the Taco Titan's life, from early childhood living in near-poverty to the rise of Taco Bell and culminating with the establishment of Bell Gardens. Baldwin clearly has great admiration for Bell, and she certainly hits upon all of the key points in his (and Taco Bell's) life. The book is well written, easy to read, and the occasional use of suspense and foreshadowing makes it hard to put down.Unfortunately, the entire story is presented as seen through rose-colored glasses. The book is a combination of biography and autobiography in the worst way. In an autobiography, the subject, reflecting on his or her life generally is somewhat introspective and points out things that they wish they had done differentially. In a biography, the biographer points out both the subject's success and failings. From reading this book, one would get the idea that everything in Bell's life simply fell into place. It mentions not one mistake nor any regrets on the part of Bell. Moreover the "recipes for success" at the end of each chapter seem to suggest that each experience was not only perfect, but a standard to be emulated. A number things that one might perceive as set backs are presented (such as when Bell, during his divorce, "gives" his entire net worth to his wife) but they are glossed over, and generally presented as a choice Bell made, not a product of circumstance.Since this is the only book on Taco Bell, if you want to know about the company and its founder, it is the book to buy. Just don't expect to learn much more than a timeline of Bell's life from it.