Photo Gallery: Taco Bell Headquarters Tour

I got to tour Taco Bell headquarters in Irvine, CA recently as they were preparing for the launch of the Doritos Locos Taco. I thought I'd share some of the highlights of the tour and something I whipped up in their test kitchen (it might take a while to load, there are quite a few pictures).

Look it's Brand Eating on a giant flat-screen TV screen in Taco Bell's lobby! Success!

They have a timeline of the company along the wall leading to their dining room. They used to have a mariachi band play at every new opening and sombreros!

Back when they started, the tacos and burritos were just wrapped in plain un-branded wax paper. The cup has a bit of an art-deco look no?

Look! That's how an Enchirito first looked when it came out; in a metal tray with olives and a whole lotta cheese.

They have a game room adjoining their dining hall. Rock Band? Check! Kinect? Wii? Check! Check! The guitars on the walls are from an MTV awards show that Taco Bell sponsored.

They have an old-school sit-down arcade machine!

Make that two arcade machines! Both with multiple games.

And this is the dining room. Pretty bright, huh?

Yes, they do serve non-Taco Bell food.

But, of course, they also have a Taco Bell inside. I wonder if the employees get a discount...

Each of the elevator lobbies has a Taco Bell logo backlit by a different color so you don't get confused at what floor you're on.

One of three different test kitchens that they have. It was called the "Cocina" I think(aka "kitchen" in Spanish).

This is the test kitchen that we ended up using to try the new Doritos Loco Tacos.

They also gave us the full run of the kitchen to make whatever we wanted. Here's where all the cold ingredients and sauces are kept. It's identical to what you'd find in a Taco Bell restaurant.

The holding bin for fried stuff: taco shells, Nacho Cheese Doritos taco shells and chips.

And finally, we have my custom Doritos Locos Taco. I call it the "Cheesy Explosion Doritos Locos Taco." I added the lettuce because I thought it would be too salty with all the cheese but Taco Bell cheese is pretty mild. I added every available cheese they had in the test kitchen: nacho cheese, cheddar, and the 3-cheese blend. Like I said I thought it would be too salty but it was actually pretty good!