Del Taco Tests ‘Throwback’ Menu in California

Del Taco is doing a test run of what it’s calling its “throwback” menu, with promises to bring it across the country should it prove successful.

The Los Angeles Daily News reports that Ed Hackbarth, the founder of the company, was the inspiration behind the throwback menu, which is currently being tested in the Los Angeles suburb of Riverside, California. This location is known as “Franchise Restaurant No. 1” because it is the first-ever Del Taco location opened in the country.

The menu has a Bun Taco, a Taco Salad, a Combo Cup with beef, beans, and cheese, a Bean & Cheese Cup, an Orange Cream Shake, and a Stoner Burrito with fries and a “secret sauce” that insiders say was once a “secret menu” item. The restaurant is also offering fries in traditional cups rather than bags.

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Kevin Pope, the vice president of operations for Del Taco, was the executive who first launched the test menu, and he thought there was no better place for it than at the first-ever location.

“What’s old is new,” he said to the outlet. “It’s part of the rich history of this company.”

Del Taco Recently Shuttered Several Locations

Obviously, the popular fast-food chain has expanded nationwide. However, customers in Colorado were recently shocked when 18 of its locations were abruptly closed.

The closings are based on a franchisee dispute. By the end of the “war” between the franchisees, Colorado only had one Del Taco location left. The closed stores were all owned by Newport Ventures, which declared bankruptcy after losing financial support from its lender.

“At this time, our Denver and Colorado Springs franchise locations are temporarily closed,” the company said in a statement. “We will re-open these locations as soon as possible and will share updates as they become available.”

The Colorado mess notwithstanding, the Tex-Mex-inspired fast-food restaurant is still developing its national presence, particularly in Indiana. A new franchisee group will open approximately 10 outlets in Indiana. Greenwood, Plainfield, and Avon are among the target markets for the Indianapolis metropolitan region, as well as Bloomington, Bedford, and Columbus to the south.

The closest Del Tacos to Indiana before this were in Michigan and Ohio. As of this writing, there are over 600 locations spread across 17 states.