Taco Bell to restart operations in the Netherlands after bankruptcy

Fast food chain Taco Bell is set to restart its activities in the Netherlands after going bankrupt. According to bankruptcy administrator Maarten Jansen, the maker of burritos, tacos, and quesadillas is being taken over by SYMBRO. This franchise operator already runs more than 100 Taco Bell and KFC locations in the United Kingdom.

There were ten Taco Bell locations in the Netherlands. Of these, nine are expected to continue under the new owner. The only location that will not be reopened is in Amersfoort, Jansen said. Discussions are still ongoing, but high rent prices appear to make operating a profitable restaurant challenging at this location.

The new owner also plans to continue with the Taco Bell currently under construction in the new Food Village in Duiven. In total, about 130 of the original 165 employees are expected to stay on in the restart. “That’s essentially all of the employees still working there, since in recent weeks some people have already left,” said Jansen.

Taco Bell expressed excitement about the restart. “With this agreement, the future of Taco Bell in the Netherlands is confirmed, and around 130 workers can now continue to serve and surprise our customers in all the Taco Bell restaurants throughout the country.”

Taco Bell is a well-known brand in the United States. The Dutch locations were owned by the franchisee T Bello Netherlands, which went bankrupt after failing to open enough new locations. According to the trustee, an estimated two additional locations would have been needed to stop operating at a loss.

This comes two years after the company raised two million euros for expansion. The funds were raised through a listing on the NPEX stock exchange, a market for fast-growing companies. However, growth also depended on additional contributions from T Bello’s British parent company, which were never fulfilled, Jansen noted. T Bello also went bankrupt in the United Kingdom, he said. After that, the company’s director became unreachable.