Taco Bell is marking its 60th anniversary Monday, March 21, by giving its team members designer T-shirts from a Venice-based streetwear company called Born X Raised.
“Nobody else can get it. It will be special to them,” said chief executive officer Mark King in a podcast recorded prior to the anniversary.
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Taco Bell presented the shirts to employees last week at more than 7,000 restaurants, according to the company. They went out to 250,000 people, according to the podcast.
They may be cotton anniversary presents for a diamond anniversary, but the shirts and the gift boxes they come in have already appeared for resale online at prices up to $150.
Founded in 2013, Born X Raised has also partnered with the LA Dodgers and Rams on caps and shirts.
To mark the occasion,Taco Bell has come up with a Born X Raised combo for $8.99. It features vegetarian items, including a Black Bean Crunchwrap Supreme, Bean Burrito, Spicy Potato Soft Taco and Cinnamon Twists, according to a press release.
The chain was founded by Glen Bell on March 21, 1962 when he opened his first Taco Bell at 7126 Firestone Blvd., Downey. In 2015, company saved the 400 square-foot building from destruction by trucking it to its headquarters in Irvine.
Taco Bell is not the first Southern California fast food chain to forge partnerships over hip hop-inspired streetwear. El Pollo Loco launched an online merchandise store to sell clothing by local designers last last year.
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