Meet Del Taco's New "Fresh Flex" Prototype!

The Fast Casual Nation podcast offers exclusive interviews with experts ranging from top chefs and brand makers to executives and restaurateurs who work in one of the fastest-growing segments of the restaurant industry. In this episode, host Paul Barron sits down with John Cappasola, President and CEO of Del Taco to talk about the debut of their reimagined restaurant design.

Sitting at nearly 600 total units across the country, Del Taco differentiates itself with its “QSR+” approach, which offers the traditional speed and convenience of a QSR brand, but adds an elevated dining experience with fresh, quality ingredients.

“It’s all about celebrating the unique ability we have as a drive-thru QSR with great speed and convenience, and guests know us for that. Along with that, we have category-leading value and affordability,” said Cappasola. “But what makes us most unique is that we pair all of those things under the same roof as freshly prepared quality ingredients.”

The iconic Mexican-American concept debuted its highly-anticipated new restaurant design prototype in January of 2021. The "Fresh Flex" design focuses on restaurant accessibility, speed of service, and brand transparency. The latest design features third-party delivery pick-up stations, double drive-thru lanes dedicated to mobile orders or delivery driver pickups, and a dedicated parking lot area for those who want to park, eat and go.

Cappasola added, “Fresh Flex is about creating the most efficient, convenient, and enjoyable environment for our guests; but also for our team members and franchisees.”

Through Fresh Flex, Del Taco is leveraging the new store design to offer a “Menu of Venues'' strategy where restaurant floor plans can be scaled to the size and needs of the locations available. This includes multiple buildout options to maximize growth opportunities that vary in size from 1,200 to 2,400 square feet.

“We designed this to set the brand apart, we wanted to have greater access to real estate in our trade areas and give our franchisees a portfolio approach to help the brand to grow,” said Cappasola.

The first new prototype store is slated to open in the summer of 2021 in Orlando, FL. With development areas open across the United States, Del Taco continues to seek experienced individuals and groups who are looking for the opportunity to claim a territory and grow alongside the company.

Tweetable Quotes:

“We’re getting into this whole design theme that is moving the restaurant industry in a much more aggressive path toward reformatting, looking at new prototypes, and dealing with a whole new consumer mindset of how people are getting food.” -Paul Barron

“Fresh Flex was built with collaborative insights; Consumer insights, operator insights, and what our franchisees felt they needed to be successful.” -John Cappasola, President & CEO, Del Taco

“(Del Taco’s) Fresh Flex design is a three-fold concept: flexible, scalable and designed for the future.” -John Cappasola, President & CEO, Del Taco

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