If Taco Bell becomes an upscale restaurant, we will no longer understand anything in this world.  In Commerce City, Colorado, Taco Bell has opened up its first UPSCALE location.  It's a prototype of a fancier, more modern Taco Bell that they hope is the first of many.  The restaurant has aluminum walls, bright purple lighting, contemporary artwork, and free Wi-Fi.  A representative said, with a straight face, "At nighttime it shines like a beacon of purple light."

The new restaurant is part of Taco Bell's plan to compete with Chipotle and other more high-end taco and burrito places.  They've also been rolling out a new nationwide "Cantina Bell" menu that uses more expensive ingredients.  And believe it or not . . . this actually SHOULD make Chipotle nervous.  Last week, a big-time hedge fund investor told people to short Chipotle stock because Taco Bell really could steal their customers away, and the stock dropped 6%.  

(Denver Post / Huffington Post)