Taco Bell is planning to double its footprint in Canada within the next five to seven years, according to Matt Shaw, the company’s general manager for the Canadian market.
“We definitely think in the next few years we could double our footprint to about 300 stores in Canada,” Shaw said in an interview. “There’s no reason we can’t get to 500 or 600 stores eventually.”
Currently, the chain has approximately 170 to 180 locations nationwide, though Shaw said that number fluctuates slightly due to remodels and new store openings.
Shaw, who is based at Taco Bell’s global headquarters in Irvine, Calif., said the company is seeing strong results in Canada thanks to a solid base of franchisees, particularly in the Greater Toronto Area. “We’ve seen some real great success growing the Taco Bell brand in Canada,” he said.
While many Canadians may know the brand from its hybrid KFC-Taco Bell units, Shaw said there has been growth in standalone Taco Bell locations in recent years. “In the last few years, we’ve been growing the standalone Taco Bell with our franchise partners,” he said.
Newer markets outside Ontario, such as Alberta and British Columbia, have also shown positive consumer response, he said. “We’ve seen great success going into newer markets outside of the GTA,” he noted.
The company is also experimenting with its menu offerings. Shaw said Taco Bell recently launched a limited-time crispy chicken menu in Canada, using chicken tenders as the core ingredient.
“Canadians love their chicken, and it really resonates with consumers,” he said. “A lot of people do chicken tenders in a lot of different ways, but only Taco Bell really can do it in the way that Taco Bell does—in tacos and burritos.”
The chain has introduced similar offerings in international markets with strong results and expects the crispy chicken menu to return in Canada next year.
Taco Bell is also seeing success through its at-home product line, offered in partnership with Kraft Heinz. “It’s been an overwhelming success,” Shaw said. “Early results were incredibly positive—well above expectations.”
The at-home products have helped broaden access to Taco Bell flavours, particularly in provinces where physical stores are still limited. “It’s allowed us to provide some of the great Taco Bell flavours basically in all the provinces around Canada,” he said.
The brand is also focusing on menu innovation to appeal to younger demographics. “We’re really trying to follow the trends of what the Gen Z consumer’s looking for,” Shaw said, citing the popularity of crispy chicken and the recent launch of Taco Bell’s take on French fries.
“Next year we’ll look to bring some different flavour varieties to that, with some different sauces and stuff, which really appeal to Gen Z and millennials,” he added.
“We’re just trying to give consumers what they want.”
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