Yep, for sure. I was asst. Manager of a Taco Bell in the late 70’s. We had a grand total of 7 items on the menu....Taco, Tostada, Bean/Beef burrito, Encherito, Frijoles and Bell Burger.
I started out at 16 frying up Taco shells. Your right back then almost everything was top shelf ingredients made on site. Had huge pressure cookers to make the pinto beans.
You could eat a bean burrito with one hand, without it flopping over and spilling in your lap. Pintos and cheese was almost a meal in itself.