Arnold's Baaaaack in the Taco Poll!: Frontrunner Schwarzenegger Re-Claims Lead in This Week's Taco Bell Poll.

Business Editors

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 9, 2003

He's back -- in first place. Taco Bell Corp. announced today that previous Taco Poll leader Arnold Schwarzenegger once again stole the lead claiming 58 percent of votes after week three of the Company's in-store gubernatorial Taco Poll. Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, represented by the Chalupa, took two percent of votes and Gov. Gray Davis, with the chicken soft taco, seized one percent of votes. The Grilled Stuft Burrito, counting for the other 133 candidates, came in second place at 39 percent.

The Taco Poll, now in its third week, allows Californians to visit one of more than 1,000 restaurants to "put their vote where their mouth is" for their favorite gubernatorial candidate. The Taco Poll encourages customers to "buy votes" simply by purchasing selected Taco Bell menu items. Bustamante, originally folded in as a Grilled Stuft Burrito with the bulk of the other candidates, was assigned to the Chalupa by popular demand from consumers and with strong support in the national polls. A crunchy beef taco counts as a vote for Schwarzenegger, a soft chicken taco counts as a vote for not recalling Davis, a Chalupa counts as a vote for Bustamante, and a Grilled Stuft Burrito counts as a vote for the remaining 133 candidates.

"Arnold's resurgence in this week's polls demonstrates his strength with California voters, giving new meaning to his signature saying 'I'll be back,'" said Greg Creed, chief marketing officer, Taco Bell Corp. "Compared to last week's low position, the Terminator has really beefed up his numbers in this week's Taco Poll."

The Taco Poll will run through the day before the official election. Customers can "Think Outside The Bun" and vote as many times as they like at participating restaurants throughout California.

Voters can monitor weekly results, which are tallied every Tuesday, online at www.tacobell.com. To ensure fairness to all candidates, product results will be calculated based on the incremental number of items sold.

Taco Bell Corp., a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM), is the nation's leading Mexican-style quick service restaurant chain serving tacos, burritos, signature Quesadillas, Border Bowls, nachos, and other specialty items. Taco Bell serves more than 35 million consumers each week in more than 6,000 restaurants in the U.S. In 2002, Taco Bell generated $5.2 billion in system-wide sales. "Think Outside the Bun" and visit www.tacobell.com.