Ex-Taco Bell Exec to Open 10 Restaurants

Former Taco Bell Chairman John Martin and Orange County restaurateur David Wilhelm said they are teaming to open as many as 10 restaurants in Southern California over the next two years. Pacific Restaurant Adventures, a new company formed by the pair, acquired the Chimayo Grill in Newport Beach last month from Taco Bell Corp. for an undisclosed amount. In addition, Pacific Restaurant is in escrow to buy the sites of two shuttered southern Orange County restaurants and will open a Mexican eatery in Huntington Beach next spring. The new company will also take over management of Wilhelm’s Sorrento Grill in Newport Beach. Other restaurant sites, possibly including some in the Los Angeles area, are yet to be determined. Martin garnered a reputation as a visionary in his 13 years at Irvine-based Taco Bell, during which sales grew to $4.5 billion from $600 million.