Del Taco Adds New Franchisee in Colorado.

LAKE FOREST, Calif. -- Continuing its expansion in Colorado, Del Taco today announced it has signed a franchise development agreement for five new restaurants in the Colorado Springs and Pueblo areas. The agreement with brothers Phillip and Jordan Fisher and their father Robert Fisher demonstrates the continued interest in Del Taco in Colorado.

"We are pleased to welcome the Fishers to the Del Taco family," said Marc Mushkin, senior director of franchise sales at Del Taco, Inc. "Colorado has given Del Taco a warm welcome from the start when we opened our first restaurant there in 2002. We continue to see great opportunity to serve our customers with more locations."

According to experienced restaurateur Robert Fisher and his son Phil, Del Taco is appealing because it has the highest sales volume of any Mexican quick-service restaurant; its average unit volume (of nearly $1.2 million) is significantly higher than the No. 1 chain in its category.

"We grew up with Del Taco in southern California," Phil Fisher said. "The experience has only gotten better for customers and stronger for franchisees. We are excited to bring a familiar taste to a new audience in Colorado."

The 41-year-old chain offers menu items that appeal to a broad range of tastes with a strong emphasis on quality and value. The menu includes Mexican offerings of tacos, burritos, quesadillas and nachos as well as American favorites like hamburgers, fries and milk shakes. Each item is made to order only when the customer orders it with many quality ingredients including lard-free beans made from scratch daily, real cheddar cheese grated on site, chicken grilled fresh every hour, hand-made salsa and fresh produce.

Recently, Del Taco added the Crispy Fish Taco to its menu and it immediately became one of the chain's biggest selling items.

Del Taco restaurants combine an eclectic world of architecture, building design and decorating into a lively, cantina-like Mexican diner with an inviting atmosphere. The exterior of Del Taco restaurants feature a mixture of stucco walls and an unusually expansive use of glass, "so the energy flows from inside out and people can see what's going on," Fisher said. "We think this design is going to attract a lot of attention from people looking for something new and fun in fast food."

Also outside are backlit canopies, barrel tile entrances and colorful patios surrounded with small, intimate footlights. Fun, neon graphics in the windows depict unique product offerings like Del Taco's popular Macho Burritos, signature menu items featuring more than a pound of food.

Inside, customers will find an eclectic array of elements ranging from hand-painted graphic art to high tech design. "The furniture is completely different from what you'd expect to find, with playful, new twists in color and comfort," Fisher said. Rather than stainless steel stanchions, a whimsical, curvy pipe and joint system indicate queuing at the order counter with a slanted menu board overhead. Likewise, ceiling fans are hung with brightly colored conduit pipes. The interior's walls are uniquely textured with hand-painted confetti and streamers -- all to reinforce a festive experience for the customer. Ceilings are exposed, opening to girders and the roof deck, rather than covered in acoustical tile.

Del Taco is a privately held company that operates or franchises more than 445 Mexican quick service restaurant locations throughout the United States. The company has been on an aggressive campaign to grow beyond its Southern California roots and continuing to expand in markets such Idaho, Illinois, Michigan, Oregon, New Mexico and Washington.