Yes, you read that right. Taco Bell — notorious in the United States for being low-quality fast food — announced that it will be coming to Greece this summer.

The US-based chain currently has over 8,700 locations worldwide, operating in 32 countries as of this article’s writing. Now, before the peak tourist season concludes, Greece will be added to the ranks.

Although outwardly this may seem like an inconsequential move, it shows how the tastes and values of Greeks in Greece are shifting. Suffice it to say that 30 years ago, it would have been unthinkable to find major Western brands like McDonald’s, Starbucks, and Taco Bell enjoying commercial success in Greece.

Today, due to the downstream effects of globalization, these brands are becoming more and more dominant – there are now 32 McDonald’s locations in Greece, where there were none 35 years ago.

These are trends that have already been demonstrated in Great Britain, France, Canada, and the United States, where local businesses on a long enough timeline are being muscled out by giant corporations. Everywhere you look in these countries – particularly in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic – small businesses have closed down, leaving the remaining consumer base to transfer to multinational corporations who can afford to compete in times of economic hardship.

“Who cares? It’s just Taco Bell!” you might say, and you’d likely be in the majority of people reacting to this news. However, let it be said that many issues arise when one considers how such developments represent the rapidly changing tastes in Greece. It points to a real need to defend local businesses, local cuisines, and local customs.

Not only are small businesses the backbone of the Greek economy, they are pillars of the community, institutions of culture, and position Greece as an exporter of excellent cuisine. There’s a reason why Greek cuisine is always winning international awards for being among the best the world has to offer.

Now that Taco Bell – which offers food designed to appeal to the lowest common denominator – is becoming a commercially viable enterprise in Greece, what does that say about our country’s shifting demographics?

The problem is this: in Greece, when you have something as celebrated as our national cuisine, most Greeks subscribe to the idea that the popularity of our culture is indestructible; that it will always be there no matter what. However, there are plenty of local cuisines in the United States – where the trends of globalism and capitalism tend to touch down first – that have been supplanted by mega-corporations and chains.

What makes Greece special is its unique history, culture, food, and religion. This makes the rising popularity of seemingly “harmless” fast food chains a harbinger of a society where religion becomes obsolete, language becomes a matter of preference, and culture is nothing more than a costume.