Del Taco plans to open restaurants in Bradenton-Sarasota area
A new player in the Mexican fast food business is coming to the Bradenton-Sarasota area.
California-based Del Taco recently announced growth plans in Florida as new multi-unit franchisees drive development across the region.
Del Taco inked a seven-unit development deal with FreshMex FL LLC, a quick service operator with more than 20 years of restaurant experience and 200-plus operating units across multiple brands.
Fresh Mex will be focused on Florida’s west coast, looking at real estate primarily in the Tampa metro market, including Bradenton-Sarasota. Those sites are still to be determined.
Del Taco offers a variety of Mexican and American favorites, including burritos and fries.
Menu items are made with quality ingredients like fresh grilled chicken and carne asada steak, sliced avocado, freshly grated cheddar cheese, slow-cooked beans made from scratch, and creamy Queso Blanco, according to the company.
Founded in 1964, today Del Taco serves more than three million guests each week at its approximately 600 restaurants across 16 states. Del Taco emphasizes cooking, chopping, shredding and grilling menu items from scratch.
Mexican fast restaurants that are larger than Del Taco by total sales include Taco Bell, Chipolte Mexican Grill and Qdoba Mexican Eats, according to restaurantbusinessonline.com.
Del Taco announced first-quarter system-wide sales growth of 14% at franchise restaurants versus 2020. Although the company is rooted on the west coast, Del Taco’s sales trends have been strong in non-California restaurants, which are primarily franchise operated.
“Strong franchisee performance, especially outside of California, is helping to attract the highest caliber, growth-oriented operating teams to join our momentum,” John D. Cappasola Jr., president and chief executive officer of Del Taco, said in a press release.
In addition to the new FreshMex FL LLC signing, Navdeep Bassi is expected to open his first Del Taco restaurant in Melbourne on May 19. This will be the first restaurant as part of Bassi’s plans for several new units across the Space Coast region.
The brand’s design includes tech-savvy, innovative options like third-party pick-up stations and double drive-thru lanes with a dedicated lane for mobile orders and delivery pick-ups.
Rounding out Florida development news, the brand’s initial Fresh Flex prototype restaurant, the first of several planned Orlando openings, breaks ground this month and will open this fall.
Orlando is a new company seed market to support statewide growth and further efforts to build brand presence in the Southeast.
Del Taco continues to operate nearly half of the system’s restaurants. With locations in 16 states, the company still has room to grow and is looking to develop with experienced individuals and operating teams across the nation.
To learn more and to inquire about available franchise opportunities, visit www.deltacofranchise.com.
Del Taco is listed on NASDAQ as TACO. For more information, visit www.deltaco.com.
This story was originally published May 18, 2021 at 1:41 PM.
