NEW YORK, Dec 5 — Taco Bell is set to expand around the world after having largely existed as a domestic US brand, with plans to open 1,300 locations internationally.

That means that consumers in the United Kingdom, Poland, Korea, Japan and Thailand, Chile, Peru and India — the focus of their expansion efforts — may finally get to sample the chain’s most famous product launch, the Doritos Locos Taco, and see what all the online fuss has been about.

According to the Nation’s Restaurant News, though Taco Bell currently has franchises in 26 countries, they’re mostly in small numbers.

Canada and Puerto Rico, for instance, are their biggest international markets with 35 and 36 restaurants respectively.

One of their biggest international openings in recent months was Sheffield, England, where the chain opened a two-storey, 80-seat restaurant on the city’s high street this autumn.

The Doritos Locos Taco made with Doritos nacho chip-flavoured taco shells. — AFP-Relaxnews pic

The chain also plans to open another 2,000 outlets in the US.

Overall, Taco Bell has about 5,800 units in the US and 250 international restaurants.

The push comes amid efforts to dominate the Mexican-style fast food market and fend off its nearest rival, Chipotle, which has likewise been expanding internationally.

Taco Bell enjoyed wild success in 2012 after launching its Doritos Locos Taco made with Doritos nacho chip-flavoured taco shells, which became their most successful, record-breaking  product launch generating no small amount of online buzz and international headlines.

Most recently, the chain piloted a Sriracha-themed menu in the US. — AFP-Relaxnews