Del Taco unveiled its system wide brand refresh. Building off of its successful quick-service-restaurant-plus repositioning that has delivered 18 consecutive quarters of positive same-store sales growth and five fiscal years of positive company traffic, Del Taco is implementing a combination of new back-of-house and guest-facing initiatives to further differentiate and separate itself in the crowded quick-serve and fast casual landscape.
READ MORE: Del Taco continues to surge on value.
Initiatives included in the brand refresh are:
- New concept tagline—Fresh Mexican Grill
- New holistic advertising campaign, “Celebrating the Hardest Working Hands in Fast Food,” reinforcing fresh ingredient preparation, including chopping, grilling, slicing and shredding, which is prevalent across the brand’s menu items
- A Fresh Produce Chalkboard posted in each restaurant, showcasing where produce is sourced from, when it was picked, and which team member prepared it that day
- Reimagined packaging, with a more contemporary design and color palate inspired by the brand’s Southern California heritage
- Hospitality initiatives, including a focus on creating more personalized interactions, such as calling guests by name vs. order number, as well as team members introducing themselves by name
- Redesigned panels of interior and drive-thru menu boards
- Quesadilla equipment innovation designed to provide a more caramelized exterior and melty interior
- Crew uniforms that celebrate the fresh preparation Del Taco teams do everyday in each restaurant
“We’re further leaning into what enables this brand to continue to differentiate itself from Taco Bell and Chipotle, with industry-leading value and traditional food prep, where our team members chop, dice, shred, and grill throughout the day,” says M. Barry Westrum, Del Taco’s chief marketing officer.
Reinforcing Del Taco’s commitment to delivering high quality, fresh and made-to-order items, the brand is also expanding its Buck and Under Menu with the introduction of its new Chicken Quesadilla Snacker. Priced at just $1, the new Chicken Quesadilla Snacker combines a generous portion of freshly grilled chicken and hand-grated cheddar cheese, grilled to perfection in a flour tortilla in new foil packaging designed to enhance product integrity while on the go.
“The $1 Chicken Quesadilla Snacker is a perfect example of our barbell menu strategy, which highlights ingredients that are prepped fresh across our entire menu, from value to premium. It’s a Del Taco differentiator, and an attribute we’re fully leveraging, while empowering our team members to deliver a service experience that is on par with leading fast casual concepts,” adds Westrum.
Del Taco serves more than three million guests each week at its more than 560 restaurants across 14 states. Del Taco’s first fiscal quarter of 2018 marked 18 consecutive quarters of sales growth for the Mexican-American quick-service chain, with systemwide comparable sales growth of 3.7 percent, year-over-year. Sales from company-owned stores also reported 2.6 percent growth, making it 23 consecutive quarters of sales increases. Franchise stores reported 5.2 percent growth. Total revenue was also up by 6.8 percent at $112.6 million over the $105.3 million reported for the same quarter last year.
Del Taco opened three new company stores in the first quarter, while it closed one franchise restaurant. After signing a seven-unit development agreement with a new Atlanta-based franchisee, Del Taco plans to open 25–28 stores in 2018.
