Taco Bells have become a hub for art heists and we have so many questions

Apparently, there’s a black market for Taco Bell paintings that hang inside their restaurants, and we are deeply perplexed.

Over 20 years ago, Mark Smith struck a deal with Taco Bell corporate to have his Basquiat-like paintings printed and hung in multiple locations across the country. Then, in 2015, the reproductions of Smith’s paintings started disappearing. Eventually, the underground market for his art drove the prices as high as 10,000.

Who’s been stealing artwork from Taco Bells? According to Ariana Bindman of SFGate, the calls are coming from inside the house:

“Deep in the trenches of Reddit, there are threads explaining how most paintings from these remodels wind up in the trash — but every now and then, they reappear on secondhand sites like Mercari and eBay for $300 to $750. Unsurprisingly, it seems like employees are in on it.”

“Multiple users who claimed to manage Taco Bell stores said they took the art during renovations and were willing to pawn the pieces off, while others lamented that shift leads and higher-ups ran off with them, beating their subordinates to it.”

We have so many questions. How does one decide to steal a Taco Bell painting? Are people randomly chatting about stealing Taco Bell art? How does this come up in conversation? Does no one believe this is wrong?

WE NEED TO KNOW.