Can Del Taco Rebound

 

Del Taco is once again hitting all the right consumer touchpoints, tapping into the power of value and flavor to fuel its momentum in the quick-service industry. As consumer expectations shift toward quality at an affordable price, Del Taco is proving it can not only meet but exceed those demands with the launch of its new Del’s Mucho Meal$.

According to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® this fresh offering positions Del Taco as a leader in the value-driven market, a key foothold in its path to future growth and ongoing customer loyalty.

The introduction of Del’s Mucho Meal$ highlights Del Taco’s strategy to win in the competitive fast-food landscape by delivering high-quality meals without compromising affordability. With price points starting at just $4.49, these meal combos are set to ignite buzz among value-conscious customers, creating an irresistible blend of quality, freshness, and savings.

“At Del Taco, we understand that our guests want exceptional value while still enjoying the flavors they crave,” said Tom Rose, President of Del Taco. “In an environment where it’s increasingly difficult to find high-quality food for under $5, Del’s Mucho Meal$ gives our guests the best of both worlds—great taste at a price that fits their budget.”

Each Del’s Mucho Meal$ comes with a Mini Cinnamon Churro, Crinkle Cut Fries, and a 16oz Fountain Drink, offering a perfect combination of sweetness and savoriness that appeals to a broad range of consumers. With four different combo options, Del Taco’s newest value meals provide the variety that customers want, while maintaining the quality they expect. The four value-driven meals include:

·         Snack Taco Mucho Meal: Two Snack Tacos, Churro, Fries, and Drink for $4.49.

·         B&C Burrito Mucho Meal: A Bean & Cheese Burrito, Grilled Chicken Taco, Churro, Fries, and Drink for $5.49.

·         Double Taco Mucho Meal: The Del Taco, Grilled Chicken Taco, Churro, Fries, and Drink for $6.49.

·         Chicken Lover’s Mucho Meal: Grilled Chicken Taco, Chicken Cheddar Roller, Snack Queso Quesadilla, Churro, Fries, and Drink for $7.49.

Do you want to Garner a

LARGER SHARE OF STOMACH

Price Matters 

And as fall sets in, Del Taco brings back a seasonal favorite that’s sure to grab attention—the Cookie Butter Shake. Made with real Biscoff Cookie Butter and topped with crunchy cookie crumbles, this limited-time treat aligns perfectly with the brand’s goal of offering something special at just the right moment.

Del Taco is proving that it can captivate consumers with its balance of flavor, value, and variety. By addressing consumers' evolving desires, the brand is laying the groundwork for continued growth and keeping the buzz alive for both new and loyal customers.

Are you looking for a new partnership to drive sales? Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing tactics look more like yesterday than tomorrow?  Visit GrocerantGuru.com for more information or contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us Remember success does leave clues and we just may have the clue you need to propel your continued success.

Del Taco Aromatherapy is Brandtastic

Del Taco understands that its brand needs to be an invitation for trial and adoption all the while consumer interactive and participatory according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

Consumers are dynamic not static and Johnson askes just what has your brand done for its best customers lately that surprised and delighted them? In the case of Del Taco they found a partner that could add new electricity elevating its brand with its best customers according to Johnson.

Del Taco introduced a Craveable Sweets & Scents Aromatherapy Set that includes three scents.  Yes, Del Taco, with 580 locations across the country, has just introduced a Mini Churro Dipper Shake nationwide, and to celebrate, the brand is launching a limited offering of “Craveable Sweets & Scents” aromatherapy set, crafted with essential oils, in Vanilla, Chocolate and Churro scents.

The Craveable Sweets & Scents Aromatherapy Set, which includes all three scents, will be available for purchase starting this Tuesday, October 1 at 1 p.m. ET on Del Taco’s webstore. They’ll be $1.49 for the set, which is the same price as Del Taco’s new Mini Churro Dipper Shake (shipping/handling of $5 will be on top of that).

Consumers are dynamic not static how is your brand keeping up with consumer demand for fresh fast food? How are you driving new electricity into your brand?

Johnson stated “that in my minds-eye the new electricity must be very efficient for the supply chain and includes such things as fresh foods, plant based  foods,  sampling, toy’s, beer, developing brands, unique urban clothing, grocerant positioning, fresh food messaging, autonomous delivery, cashier-less retail, plates, glasses, cash-less payments, digital hand-held marketing.

All food and beverage retailers to survive the next generation of retail must embrace the artificial intelligence revolution while simultaneously embracing fresh food and beverages that are portable, fresh, with differentiation that is familiar not different.  Does your retail path forward look more like yesterday than tomorrow? Why?

Are you looking for a new partnership to drive sales? Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing tactics look more like yesterday that tomorrow?  Visit www.FoodserviceSolutions.us for more information or contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us Remember success does leave clues and we just may have the clue you need to propel your continued success.

Consumers Confound Grocers & Restaurants with New Demands

Battle for Share of Stomach

Once again consumers prove that the ‘halo’ of better-for-you focus, force, and food platform that consumers want. Grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food is the number one item driving food sales for both Grocery stores and Restaurants according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

Consider this U.S. retail sales of plant-based foods totaled $4.5 billion over the past year, marking growth of 11%, according to the Plant Based Foods Association (PBFA) and The Good Food Institute. There were 228 million servings of plant-based burgers ordered at quick-service restaurants in the year ending May, up 10 percent from a year ago, reports The NPD Group.

Is the tide turning? No, not so fast beef burgers are still by far the most popular burger ordered at quick-serves. There were 6.4 billion beef burgers ordered at quick-serves in the year ending May 2019, and although growth is flat compared to year ago, beef burgers are still the top sandwich ordered at U.S. restaurants.  However, Millennials and Gen Z are both in search of food discovery according to Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant ScoreCards and ‘better-for-you’ tops the list of with 84.1% saying they are looking for food that is ‘better-for-you’.

Once again consider this “Over a two-year period, plant-based food retail sales are up 31%, the PBFA and The Good Food Institute noted. Dollar sales climbed from $3.4 billion in April 2017 to $4 billion in April 2018 and then to $4.5 billion in April 2019.”

Meals mix and matched with plant-based food and beverages will continue to garner top line growth simply from trial.  Those that prove flavorful, provide the texture, color, and complexity today’s consumers are in search of will thrive according to Johnson.  Many plant-based foods manufactures will within the next three years be able to scale production to the point that they will also have a price advantage on the shelf and in the restaurants according to Johnson.

Foodservice Solutions® specializes in outsourced business development. We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities or a new menu product segment and brand and menu integration strategy.  Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma WA is the global leader in the Grocerant niche visit Facebook.com/Steven Johnson, www.Linkedin.com/in/grocerant/ or www.twitter.com/grocerant/

Del Taco from Meal Deals to Empowering Consumers Choice

Creating a platform that invites consumer interactive participation is a very good want edify your brand messaging with consumers according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

Back in the day ‘Meal Deals’ were developed to speed-up the customer ordering process particularly at the drive-thru according to Johnson.  Del Taco edifying it relationship with customer as it rolls out its new Mix2 Menu. Del Taco’s Mix2 Menu allows guests to mix and match two fresh, quality menu items from a selection of fan-favorites for just $4 and $5 empowering both product and price a key drivers.

Barry Westrum, Del Taco’s Chief Marketing Officer stated “In a landscape that’s saturated with limited item five- and six-dollar offers, Del Taco is drawing on its legacy as the value leader in the fast food space to deliver unmatched flavor per dollar,” .. “Not only are we offering a combination of craveable items for an unbeatable price, but these are products that really show how we’re changing the game in the fast food category—by freshly grilling our chicken for our tacos and burritos, and hand-grating cheddar cheese for our quesadillas in restaurant every day!”  Let’s look at the new platform:

The Mix2 Menu lets guests mix and match two of the following fresh and quality menu items for just $4:

·         Chicken Flatbread Taco: Warm, savory flatbread filled with freshly grilled chicken, chipotle sauce, crisp lettuce, fresh tomatoes and hand-grated cheddar cheese.

·         Chicken Street Taco: Freshly grilled chicken, topped with roasted chile salsa, diced onions, fresh cilantro, and hand-sliced avocado, wrapped in two warm corn tortillas.

·         Beer Battered Fish Taco: A wild-caught Alaska Pollock fillet in a crispy beer batter, topped with crunchy shredded cabbage, Del Taco’s secret sauce and handmade pico de gallo, wrapped in two warm corn tortillas and served with a fresh-cut lime wedge.

·         Cheese Quesadilla: Spicy Jack or hand-grated cheddar cheese and tangy green sauce, flat-grilled in a flour tortilla.

The new value menu also satisfies burrito cravings by letting guests mix and match any two of the following Classic Burritos for just $5:

·         Del Combo Burrito: Seasoned beef combined with slow-cooked beans made from scratch, hand-grated cheddar cheese and zesty red sauce, wrapped in a warm flour tortilla

·         Del Beef Burrito: Seasoned beef, hand-grated cheddar cheese and zesty red sauce, wrapped in a warm flour tortilla

·         Classic Grilled Chicken Burrito: Fresh grilled chicken, Del Taco’s famous secret sauce, fresh diced tomatoes, crisp lettuce, and hand-grated cheddar cheese, wrapped in a warm flour tortilla

·         Spicy Grilled Chicken Burrito: Fresh grilled chicken, fresca lime rice, slow-cooked beans made from scratch, tangy green sauce and hand-grated cheddar cheese, wrapped in a warm flour tortilla

·         8 Layer Veggie Burrito: Slow-cooked beans made from scratch, fresca lime rice, tangy guacamole, fresh diced tomatoes, crisp lettuce, hand-grated cheddar cheese, zesty red sauce and cool sour cream, wrapped in a warm flour tortilla

We said it was interactive and participatory well beginning on January 14, fans who want to wear their Del Taco heart on their sleeve, or in this case, on their socks, will get the chance to do so! Any guest who posts a photo of their Mix2 Menu order on Instagram or Twitter, and tags @DelTaco, will have the chance to receive two corresponding socks to match their order (while supplies last). Because the only thing better than enjoying a Chicken Street Taco and Cheese Quesadilla, is enjoying them while wearing Chicken Street Taco and Cheese Quesadilla-inspired socks.

Are you looking for a new partnership to drive sales? Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing ideations look more like yesterday than tomorrow? Interested in learning how www.FoodserviceSolutions.us can edify your retail food brand while creating a platform for consumer convenient meal participation, differentiation and individualization?  Email us at: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or visit:  www.FoodserviceSolutions.us for more information.

Del Taco Looks to Differentiate With Two Tier Pricing and Fresh Food Fast

Fresher, faster, and more flavorful Del Taco is rebranding itself to out-position the competition in the minds-eye of the consumer before Taco Bell or Chipotle according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

Del Taco’s new tagline is Fresh Mexican Grill just like McDonald’s Del Taco is betting that when you combine a two tier pricing strategy with freshness and innovative new products customer trial and migration will follow

Del Taco unveiled its system wide brand refresh which included 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. Initiatives included in the brand refresh are:

1.       Reimagined packaging, with a more contemporary design and color palate inspired by the brand’s Southern California heritage

2.       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

3.       Redesigned panels of interior and drive-thru menu boards7

4.       Quesadilla equipment innovation designed to provide a more caramelized exterior and melty interior8

5.       Crew uniforms that celebrate the fresh preparation Del Taco teams do everyday in each restaurant

6.       New concept tagline—Fresh Mexican Grill

7.       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

8.       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

M. Barry Westrum, Del Taco’s chief marketing officer stated “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,”

Are you trapped doing what you have always done and doing it the same way?  Where is your new electricity coming from?  Interested in learning how www.FoodserviceSolutions.us can edify your retail food brand while creating a platform for consumer convenient meal participation, differentiation and individualization?  Email us at: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or visit:  www.FoodserviceSolutions.us for more information.

Del Taco’s Dinner Dash and Save Cash

Success does leave clues and at Del Taco customers can focus on meals and meal components as a complete dinner solution fast according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

Mix and Match meal bundling is at the heart of everything that Del Taco has been doing to drive customer counts and sales. Plato’s are one of Del Taco’s most successful high price offerings and are positioned to garner sales from fast casual and limited service restaurants. The  Del Taco leader ship team understands that 50% of consumers over the age of 18 in the US are single. 

Finding a flavorful meal solution for less than a full service restaurant has become top of mind with most consumers.  At Del Taco consumers can do that while saving consumers time, which is exactly the right thing to be doing today according to Johnson.

Del Taco has a top of mind presents with its Buck & Under repositioning of its message to showcase the fact it features 15 items, including the new $1 Salsa Chicken Taco. That’s were a meal solutions becomes so important.  The ability of consumers to choose from a complete ‘restaurant’ meal as with Plato’s and if they want the can customize it with their favorite from the dollar menu.

The move from cheap fast food to customized meals will contribute to an increase in family dinners via the drive thru and or from delivery.  Currently Del Taco said its initial testing with third-party delivery companies has delivered significantly higher average checks. Much like other before them Del Taco is seeing an incremental sales lift that most retailers experience with when they focus on mix and match meal bundling for both customization and personalization. How are you positioning for the evolving consumers?

Success does leave clues www.FoodserviceSolutions.us  is the global leader in grocerant niche business development.  We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities.  Has your company had a Grocerant ScoreCard completed a Grocerant Program Assessment, or new Grocerant niche product Ideation?  Want one?  Call 253-759-7869 Email: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us