Bangalore - Taco Bell

Here are a few pictures from the first Taco Bell in India. Its a couple hours away, across on the other side of Bangalore from where I live, in a mall. The mall is said to be the biggest in India. Its definitely bigger than any I've been to in India, but its not big by US standards. Its maybe a 1/3 the size of the Glendale Galleria. Its maybe 1/100th the size of any mall in Singapore. Its filled with all the same shops as the other malls here, but there is also a Lifestyle ( Indian department store chain ), a Spar (German food store chain), a movie theater (INOX), a bar (which made a pretty passable mojito), 2 KFCs, and of course the Taco Bell.
The Taco Bell was hot and smelly, and had a bit of a mob vibe going on inside. For those readers that haven't been actively following all of the news stories of this restaurant opening, this is not only the first Taco Bell in India but the first place to offer free refills on soft drinks. "Free" doesn't work very well in India. "Free" quickly devolves into "crazed hoarding". Hence the "action shot" by the drink machine. Lots of pushing and shoving. Its obvious that the restaurant expected large crowds and attempted to institute a queuing system; you are to wait in one line for ordering, then digital readouts on the wall display the number of the order ready for pickup. You are then supposed to go to a separate window to pick up your order. Well, this isn't working. "Queuing", or for my American friends, "waiting in line", doesn't work very well in India either. It quickly devolves into a pushing mass crowded around the counter doing whatever possible to get served before anyone else, regardless of who was there first. This was the scene around the window where you are supposed to walk up to when your number comes up. The numbers have been summarily dismissed, and the person to get his tacos is the person that can shove his way to the counter and wave his receipt in the person's face the best.
The menu is quite limited compared to the US menu, and all of the items have been "Indianized" to some degree. The least Indianized I'd say is the bean burrito. Its a pretty authentic tasting tortilla with pretty authentic tasting refried beans - both items rare to the point of non existent in India, so kudos to them for getting a way to source them. The hot sauce is different, though, its spicier than the US version, and a hint of Indian spices. "Nachos" are just the chips, no cheese, and there are quite a few paneer items on the menu.
The restaurant was pretty clean considering how busy it was - I've definitely been to dirtier Taco Bells in the US. The kitchen was clean too - you could see it through the window where you pick up your order.