Where is the closest Del Taco?

These days, it can be hard to stand out among the rest of the fast-food restaurants, but Del Taco is always on top of the list. Del Taco Restaurants Inc. is a US fast-food chain of restaurants specializing in Mexican cuisine of American-style and American foods like fries, burgers, and chips. The company was inaugurated way back in 1964 by Ed Hackbarth and David Jameson and is headquartered in California. Del Taco has more than 600 locations in 15 US states, while a handful of its sites are also sprinkled around eastern areas of Mississippi.

Del Taco’s History

Del Taco's first restaurant started in California in 1964 by Ed Hackbarth and David Jameson under Casa Del Taco's name. After the success of the first restaurant, two more restaurants were opened in Barstow and one in needles, while the fifth restaurant was opened in Corona. In 1966, the Red-E-Food systems Inc. was founded with the goal of franchising Del Taco. That year the current Del Taco logo was created, and in 1967, the bean and cheese burrito with green and red sauce was introduced.

In 1973, Red-E-Food systems were renamed Del Taco, and the company started to open a new restaurant every single month. W.R Grace and Company bought Del Taco in 1976, and they had 50 Del Taco restaurants in 1977 and saw an enormous expansion with 100 in 1978. Del Taco had 350 restaurants by 1981, and in 1989 it merged with the Naugles’ Mexican Fast Food outlets.

Del Taco started to stay open all night in the 1980s, and in 1992 it was able to have sole title rights from W.R Grace and Company. The company management announced to extend the restaurant chain by 500 stores in 1995 and add more than 200 by the year 2000. In 2004, it was purchased by Sagittarius brand LLC, and it was again purchased by Levy Acquisition Corporation. Del Taco became a public company in 2015. 

Key Facts

• The business took off quite quickly

Del Taco has been around for quite some time and was a huge success right from the first day. They made $169 million in sales, which showed that their customers were very happy, and because of this, the chain kept growing throughout the 1970s. In 1977, they had 50 restaurants, and the number doubled in just one year, while the 500th eatery was opened in 2008 and is still as popular today as ever.

• There is a secret menu hack one should know about

The best thing about Del Taco is that one can eat Mexican-style food and classical food together. It is important to know the best secret menu hacks if you always like to add fries to your order. You have to use two words, 'Go Bold,' to get the secret sauce and fries to the menu.

• There are delicious options for vegans as well as vegetarians

It can never be easy to stick to the vegetarian or vegan diet, especially in a fast-food restaurant. Del Taco offers a great menu for vegetarians; this includes Crunchtada Tostada, bean and cheese burrito, 8-layer veggie burrito, potato poppers, and much more.

Final Thoughts

As an operator and franchisor of restaurants, Del Taco has been able to feature fresh as well as fast made-to-order cuisine. Their menu includes burritos, tacos, quesadillas, hamburgers, and shakes. Committing to serve fresh, made-to-order, and delicious food at an unbeatable price, Del Taco has raised the bar in the fast food industry. They have a QSR-plus experience that can resonate quite well, especially with the community, as is proven by the success of the brand from different locations in the United States.

FAQs

Does Taco Bell own Del Taco?

Del Taco is primarily maintained by individual equity firms and has around 600 locations in different US states. It is ranked third in sales amongst the Mexican fast-food establishments following Taco Bell and Chipotle Mexican Grill.

Does Del Taco use real meat?

Del Taco is the first Mexican fast-food restaurant that has both real and plant-based meat on its menu and is also the first drive-through eatery to carry the product in-house.

Is Del Taco available only in California?

California surely has more Del Tacos compared to any other US state, but Del Taco can be found in various other states.

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