1960s The first Del Taco restaurant was opened by Ed Hackbarth and David Jameson in
Yermo, California, east of
Barstow, on September 16, 1964, That same year, the original Del Taco sun logo was created. In 1967, Del Taco introduced their bean and cheese burrito with green or red sauce. Del Taco launched a $14 million program to redesign its restaurant exteriors, kitchens and corporate logo. The company presented its Concept 2000 restaurant design, and in August 1992 introduced its new logo. In place of the orange and blue sunset, there was a yellow sun that rose over green mountains against a red background. These colors represented the primary ingredients of Del Taco food: cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes. Later thatyear , executives announced plans to expand the chain to 500 stores by 1995, and to add another 225 by 2000. The first new markets it sought were
Las Vegas, Nevada; St. Louis, Missouri; and the Northeast Corridor. In January 2008, Del Taco announced the opening of its 500th restaurant in
Burbank, California. On April 27, 2009, a new Del Taco opened in
Oviedo, Florida, marking the first time since the 1980s that Del Taco was available in the
Orlando area. This location has since closed. There are two other
Orlando locations still open.
2010s Del Taco returned to Texas in November 2010 with a new location in
Denton, Texas. W. R. Grace and Company had previously owned and operated locations in Texas with a licensing agreement in 1978, but sold the restaurants to
Taco Bell in 1992. Guillermo Perales, one of the largest Hispanic restaurateurs in the nation, signed a franchisee agreement in 2011 to open additional locations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas. In 2011, Del Taco opened four locations in
Colorado in
Denver and
Colorado Springs; it grew to 21 stores across the state. In March 2012, a location opened in
Houston with plans for further expansion in the Houston area (that location was defunct by May 2015), including both
Harris County and
Montgomery County. In December 2012, a Del Taco opened in
Cedar Park, Texas. Another was opened in
Round Rock, Texas, in 2013. In April 2013, Del Taco entered Alabama by opening its first restaurant in
Dothan, Alabama. A second restaurant opened in
Montgomery, Alabama, in October 2013 only to close in February 2016. Del Taco entered Oklahoma in December 2013, opening its first store in
Moore. In summer 2014, a store opened in
Edmond, Oklahoma. Del Taco was purchased by Levy Acquisition Corporation and became a public company on June 30, 2015.
2020s , California, occupying a former
Naugles location In October 2020, Del Taco opened its first Ohio restaurant in
Columbus, Ohio. In September 2021, Del Taco announced it was expanding into
Virginia. The first restaurant in Virginia was opened in July 2024 in
Chesapeake. In the same month, Del Taco released their new rewards program app, called "Del Yeah! Rewards". On December 6, 2021,
Jack in the Box announced it was acquiring Del Taco, saying the merger will cause both companies to benefit "from a stronger financial model, gaining greater scale to invest in digital and technology capabilities, and unit growth for both brands". The combined company will have more than 2,800 locations across 25 states. The acquisition closed in March 2022 for about $585 million. Jack in the Box previously owned Mexican fast casual purveyor
Qdoba, which it divested in 2018. On February 27, 2025, 18 of the 19
Colorado Del Taco locations closed abruptly. With notice posted at each location, "We regret to inform you that effective [Thursday], all Colorado Del Taco locations are closed until further notice," the sign posted on the door said. "We thank you for your patronage, the memories we have created together, and wish you well." The 18 locations were owned by one franchisee, while the remaining
Grand Junction, Colorado location is owned by a separate entity. On June 20, 2025, Del Taco corporate sent out a promotional email to mailing list subscribers in Colorado titled "Guess who’s coming back? And we’re bringing the tacos.", teasing a reopening without announcing a date. On October 16, 2025, Jack in the Box sold Del Taco to Yadav Enterprises for $115 million. The sale was finalized on December 22, 2025. ==Availability==