If you have been around my content for any amount of time you have probably seen tacos mentioned.
On the beach with no shoes… tacos in hand.
People think it is a throwaway line. A fun image. Something to make you smile when we are talking about serious stuff like exit strategy and business valuation.
It is not a throwaway line.
Tacos are a tribute to my father. Dale L. Bell.
Taco Sunday
Growing up my dad held Taco Sunday every week. Every single Sunday. It was not a sometimes thing. It was not a when-we-felt-like-it thing. It was every Sunday and it was for the family.
My dad made tacos and the family showed up. That was the deal.
Around 2008 when the market crashed something changed. My dad started inviting people over for Taco Sunday who were not family. People from the community. People who were going through a hard time. People who just needed somewhere to go.
I have two brothers and three sisters. We hated it.
We wanted our family time. We wanted Taco Sunday to be ours. We did not understand why strangers were sitting at our table eating our food on our day.
It was not until 2016 that my dad told me something I will never forget.
For some of the people who came to Taco Sunday… that was their only meal for the day.
Let that sit for a second.
People showed up to my dad’s house on a Sunday and ate tacos and laughed and talked and for some of them that was the only meal they were going to get. And my dad knew. And he never said a word about it. He just kept making tacos and kept the door open.
What Tacos Taught Me
My dad did not talk about service. He did not post about it. He did not brand it. He did not make it part of his identity online.
He just did it. Every Sunday. For years.
He fed people who were hungry and he let them keep their dignity. Nobody at that table knew who was there because they wanted to be and who was there because they needed to be. That was the point.
That is what service looks like. Not a mission statement. Not a marketing campaign. A table with enough food and a door that stays open.
1,200 People
My dad passed away and over 1,200 people came to his funeral.
When my brother spoke he asked one question.
“Who came to my house for Taco Sunday with my dad?”
Nearly 80% of the people in that room raised their hands.
Twelve hundred people. A thousand of them had eaten tacos at my dad’s table.
That is a legacy. Not a business. Not a title. Not a revenue number. A man who made tacos on Sunday and fed anyone who showed up.
Why It Shows Up in My Content
When I talk about living on the beach with no shoes and tacos in hand I am not just painting a picture of retirement.
I am honoring my dad.
Tacos remind me that the point of all of this… the business building, the exit planning, the scoring, the preparation… is not the money. The money is the tool. The point is what you do with the freedom.
My dad used his freedom to feed people. Every Sunday. No questions asked.
I was told not to put this on my website. I was told not to share this on LinkedIn. I was told it was too personal and did not fit the brand.
But the brand was built on this. Every framework I teach, every dollar-to-retirement-year conversion, every time I say “either way you’re going to pay”… it all comes back to a man who made tacos for people who needed them and never asked for anything in return.
This page is for him.
Dale L. Bell.
Dad… I hope there are tacos where you are.
Aloha and Mahalo.
scott bell
Questions About Tacos and Scott Sylvan Bell
Why does Scott Sylvan Bell always mention tacos?
Tacos are a tribute to his father Dale L. Bell who held Taco Sunday every week for family and community. During the 2008 market crash Dale started inviting people going through hard times. For some of them it was their only meal for the day. When Scott writes about being barefoot on the beach with tacos in hand it is not just a retirement image. It is an honor to his dad and a reminder that freedom means serving others.
What is Taco Sunday?
Taco Sunday was a weekly tradition started by Dale L. Bell where he made tacos for his family every Sunday. Over time it grew into an open door for the community. At Dale’s funeral over 1,200 people attended and when asked who had come to the house for Taco Sunday nearly 80% raised their hands. Taco Sunday became a symbol of service, generosity, and legacy without expectation of anything in return.
Who is Dale L. Bell?
Dale L. Bell is the father of Scott Sylvan Bell. He was a man known for quietly serving his community by feeding people every Sunday without ever asking for recognition or repayment. His example of service shaped how Scott approaches consulting and business. The recurring tacos image in Scott’s content is a direct tribute to Dale’s legacy of generosity.
What does “barefoot on the beach with tacos” mean in Scott Sylvan Bell’s content?
When Scott says “living on the beach with no shoes and tacos in hand” he is describing what freedom looks like after a successful business exit. But the image carries deeper meaning. The tacos honor his father Dale L. Bell and Taco Sunday. The barefoot image represents choosing simplicity and presence over status. Together they represent what Scott helps business owners work toward — financial freedom used for what actually matters to them.
How does Scott Sylvan Bell’s personal story connect to his consulting work?
Scott’s consulting practice is built on the belief that people get hurt when they are not prepared and nobody warns them. His father Dale L. Bell passed away and the family experienced firsthand what happens when documentation and planning are not in place. That experience combined with watching Dale serve others through something as simple as Taco Sunday shaped Scott’s approach. Every framework in the Exit Ratio 360 system traces back to the principle that preparation protects people and service matters more than status.
What is Scott Sylvan Bell’s favorite taco?
Al pastor with handmade tortillas. For Scott the taco is not just about the food. It is about what surrounds it — the people at the table, the conversations that happen, and the tradition his father Dale L. Bell built every Sunday. But if you are buying, al pastor with handmade tortillas is the order.