Del Taco is an American-style Mexican fast food restaurant.  The restaurant serves classic Mexican dishes, which include tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and nachos. The chain also serves American favorites, such as hamburgers, crinkle-cut fries, and milkshakes. The restaurant states that its menu items taste better than other restaurants because they are made to order and consist of fresh ingredients. Examples of the fresh ingredients include slow-cooked beans made from scratch, hand-grated cheddar cheese, hand-made pico de gallo, and freshly grilled marinated chicken.

In 2014, the chain launched its “UnFreshing Believable” campaign to celebrate its 50^th anniversary. This campaign indicated the measures taken by the company to deliver quality made-to-order menu items created with freshly-prepared ingredients. The restaurant serves over three million guests each week. The establishment has been named as having the “Best Value for Your Money” in an annual survey on “America’s Best Fast Food (and the Worst)” in the nation’s leading consumer review magazine. The survey was based on the opinions of 96,000 diners who ate at 65 restaurant chains throughout the nation.

History

In September 16, 1964, Ed Hackbarth and David Jameson opened the first restaurant in Yermo, California. The restaurant was very successful. This success led to the opening of more restaurants. Dick Naugle soon joined Hackbarth and Jameson, and they established Red-E-Food Systems, Inc. to franchise the Del Taco brand. The chain expanded throughout the Southern California area. Dick Naugle left the company in the early 1970s.The company changed its name from Red-E-Food Systems to Del Taco, Inc. The establishment continued to grow rapidly.

In 1976, Jameson and Hackbarth sold the store to investors, who then sold the rights to use the Del Taco name in the U.S. to W.R Grace and Company. The establishment continued to expand and by 1978, there were 100 restaurants. The menu also expanded to include additional items such as the bun taco, quesadilla, and ice cream sundaes. In 1988, Del Taco merged with the Naugles’ restaurant chain. Dick Naugle had started the Naugles’ restaurant chain back in the 1970s. This merger allowed the chain to increase in size and geographic reach. The restaurant also started to stay open all night.

The establishment began to launch a series of initiatives to promote the brand’s image and also improve the entire customer experience. These initiatives included new designs for the restaurants as well as the logo. The company regained its exclusive rights to its name from W. R. Grace and Company, after which it was able to expand outside of California. The company decided to open locations in the Las Vegas, Nevada, St. Louis, Missouri, and Northeast Corridor markets. The establishment doubled in size and by 2008, opened its 500^th restaurant. The establishment also re-opened in Texas and Georgia and expanded into Colorado and the Pacific Northwest.

Unfortunately, Del Taco filed for bankruptcy in 1993. The combination of high cost leases and the three-million-dollar lawsuit from a former supplier, led to severe financial difficulty for the company. The company fluctuated in size between 1994 and 1998. The restaurant had decreased to 325 stores by December 1998. Sagittarius Brands, LLC purchased the establishment in 2004. By January 2008, the company had increased to 500 restaurants. On June 30, 2015, Levy Acquisition Corporation purchased the company. The establishment went public on that day. Today, the chain has numerous locations throughout the United States, primarily in the Western region.

Review

The menu offers a variety of food items, consisting of both Mexican and American favorites. Mexican favorites include classic items such as tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, and fresca bowls. American favorites are found mostly under the “American Grill” section, which include hamburgers, cheeseburgers and fries. There are also handcrafted salads, desserts and milkshakes. The chain also serves breakfast food both individually and as a combo. There is also a kids menu for children. The chain also provides a practical and convenient “Buck and Under” menu, which consists of items starting at 59 cents.

The tacos are priced between $1 and $5, and come in many different types. These include the Street Tacos, Flatbread Tacos, Beer Battered Fish Taco, Turkey Taco, Double Beef Classic Taco, Grilled Chicken Taco, Regular Taco, Salsa Fresca Chicken Taco. The burritos are priced between $3 and $4, and also come in many different types. The different types of burritos include the Epic Carne Asada Burrito, Epic Grilled Chicken Avocado Burrito, Epic Steak and Potato Burrito, Epic Chicken Chipotle Ranch Burrito, Epic Cali Steak and Guac Burrito, Del Combo Burrito, Del Beef Burrito, Eight Layer Veggie Burrito, Classic Grilled Chicken Burrito, and many others.

The American Grill includes the Double Del Cheeseburger, Bacon Double Del Cheeseburger, regular Cheeseburger, Carne Asada Fries, Deluxe Chili Cheddar Fries, Chili Cheddar Fries, and Crinkle Cut Fries. Items under the American Grill range from $3 to $4. Breakfast foods are priced between $1 and $5, and include the bacon and egg quesadilla, egg and cheese burrito, breakfast burrito, bacon breakfast burrito, Epic Scrambler, Breakfast Tacos, Bacon and Egg Quesadilla Meal, and the Egg and Cheese Burrito Meal.

Handcrafted salads include the Chicken, Bacon, Avocado salad, Mexican Chopped Chicken salad, and the Signature Taco Salad. The salads are between $5 and $7. Fresca bowls are between $4 and $5. The Fresca bowls include the Pollo Asado with Avocado, the Green Chile Chicken with Avocado, and the Avocado Veggie. The Combos and Fiesta packs consist of various combinations of tacos and burritos, fries, and a beverage. The Combos and Fiesta packs are priced between $4 and $12. The tacos, burritos and fries are favorites. The fish tacos especially are highly recommended. The restaurant hours vary according to location, but quite a few restaurants are open 24 hours. The restaurants are clean and the service is quite friendly.