Restaurant Brands chief executive Russel Creedy has quashed rumours of US mexican fast food chain Taco Bell coming to New Zealand, after a Taco Bell branded billboard appeared in Ponsonby, fuelling speculation.
The billboard which reads "because Ponsonby Road needs another Mexican restaurant", is branded with the Taco Bell logo, but Creedy said the billboard was nothing to do with Restaurant Brands, which would likely own the rights to the New Zealand franchise if it did move here.
"Somebody's just used and abused the brand logo of the Taco Bell organisation but as far as Restaurant Brands is concerned we are not looking at it at all at the moment," Creedy said.
"We've got Carl's Jr to bed down and get going and I was surprised to see it."
Creedy said he believed the billboard was part of a protest against Mexican restaurants in the Ponsonby area in general.