What does a Del Taco executive say about Taco Bell? He has a comeback, but not with a sign
When Del Taco came to town, big boy Taco Bell put out a “welcome” on its sign.
Now, the brand president of the newly arrived California chain has a comeback — but he’s not trading clever insults. He prefers to play up his company’s food and value.
Del Taco, founded in California, opened its first Bradenton-area restaurant on Nov. 22. That caught the attention of Taco Bell, which welcomed the competition to the area with this message:
“She’s a 10 but eats Del Taco.”
The phrase “she’s a 10 but ...” is a social media meme that started on TikTok and spread to Twitter and other social media platforms this year.
Although Del Taco didn’t respond with a clever clap-back of its own, the Bradenton Herald spoke with Del Taco brand president Chad Gretzema about the viral moment and the taco chain’s future as it looks to establish additional stores across Florida.
“Reader boards are an Iconic part of the fast-food industry and obviously have an impact on everyone,” Gretzema said of the signs in front of restaurants that usually list specials. “In this case, we were excited to come to Bradenton and to see other restaurants in the area wanting to engage with us.”
Instead of responding with a funny message of its own on the Del Taco sign, Gretezema said he would rather let the food speak for itself.
Apparently that strategy is working. Bradenton customers have been flocking to the new restaurant and waiting in line at the drive-thru since its opening.
“We’ve been thrilled about how we’ve been welcomed into Bradenton, and in fact, in the weeks leading up to the opening, we have people knocking on the door all the time, saying, ‘Hey, when are you going to be open? “We can’t wait to get tacos and burritos.’
“So we knew there was a lot of excitement in the market,” he said.
More Del Taco locations for Florida
Del Taco has five Florida locations: two in Orlando, and one in Melbourne, Kissimmee and Bradenton.
And the West Coast taco franchise keeps growing in Florida. Gretzema confirmed that a second restaurant will open in Bradenton at a date to be determined.
“Lots of growth throughout Florida,” Gretzema said.
Del Taco plans to open 30 more quick-service restaurants across the state with the help of their franchise partners. Floridians can expect to see more Del Taco quick-service restaurants in Orlando, Tampa, Sarasota, Palm Beach County, the Panhandle and the Space Coast.
“Florida is probably the state with the most growth for us there,” he said. “I think Florida being such a fast-growing state, and the whole Southeast in general, are some of the fastest-growing states in America. There’s just a huge demand for really fresh Mexican food.”
The taco joint is already a big hit in Georgia, where it has 10 locations. And another 12 restaurants are in the works for the nearby Florida Panhandle.
Fast, fresh and affordable
Del Taco prides itself on being fresh and affordable.
The chain features value menu items, which appeals to customers when costs are going up everywhere.
Bradenton residents can also enjoy the brand’s year-round traditional menu items, including burritos, tacos, burgers and crinkle-cut fries.
Eat like a brand president
If you’ve never eaten at Del Taco and aren’t sure what to order, try the presidents favorites.
“My favorite is our stuffed quesadilla taco with carne asada, and I add extra fresh guacamole on top, and I always get our famous hot crinkle-cut fries,” Gretezema said. “That’s my go-to order”
A previous version of this story misstated the title of Chad Gretezema due to incorrect information supplied by the company. He is Del Taco brand president.
This story was originally published December 7, 2022 at 12:18 PM.
