News

Del Tacos' expands veggie-based tacos test

December 11, 2018

Del Taco will expand its vegetable-based Beyond Tacos test to San Diego on Dec. 13 at 16 locations in that city, as well as five stores in Los Angeles,, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Del Taco is the first Mexican fast food chain to offer Beyond Meat's plant-based protein option, a news release said.  

"With a growing demand for vegan and vegetarian options among our guests, we saw an opportunity within the space to partner with Beyond Meat to develop a proprietary blend of seasoned, 100 percent plant-based meat," Del Taco President and CEO John Cappasola, said in the release. "After receiving overwhelmingly positive feedback from fans during our pilot test in Los Angeles, it only made sense to introduce our Beyond Tacos to a larger SoCal community."

Guests in the test cities can now try one of the brand's new Beyond Tacos which offer the same amount of protein and flavor as seasoned beef, but are made with 100 percent plant-based protein. Beyond Meat is also being offered as a substitute for any protein in existing Del Taco menu items, such as burritos, nachos and fries, including:

• Beyond Avocado Taco (vegan): Seasoned Beyond Meat plant-based crumbles, avocado, lettuce and diced tomatoes in a shell.
• Beyond Taco (vegetarian): Seasoned Beyond Meat plant-based crumbles, cheddar cheese, lettuce and diced tomatoes in a shell.

"We are always looking for new and innovative ways to elevate our menu, and are excited to offer this plant-based alternative to even more of our fans - whether they are vegan, vegetarian or just looking to switch things up - without sacrificing quality and taste," Cappasola said. "If our San Diego test is successful, we look forward to potentially expanding our Beyond Tacos test even further in the near future."

Del Taco now has more than 560 restaurants across 14 states.