Del Taco Dumps the Cheese Pump and Upgrades to Premium

LAKE FOREST, CA--(Marketwired - Aug 29, 2017) - Del Taco Restaurants, Inc. ( NASDAQ : TACO ), the nation's second leading Mexican quick service restaurant* (MQSR), today announced the addition of its newest premium offering, Queso Blanco. Made with real cheese, real milk, jalapeños and heavy cream, Del Taco's smooth and creamy Queso Blanco will be served at the company's more than 550 restaurants nationwide beginning Thursday, August 31. 

"With no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives, Queso Blanco will replace Del Taco's nacho cheese, a step that aligns with Del Taco's guest promise to serve quality and flavorful menu items at an unbeatable value," said Barry Westrum, Del Taco's Chief Marketing Officer.

"With the introduction of the New Queso Crunch Taco, we've taken our most successful product introduction -- The Del Taco -- and wrapped it in a warm flour tortilla filled with Queso," Westrum adds. "Queso Blanco represents Del Taco's continued innovation within the premium ingredient space, a strategy that has led to strong results for the brand."

Combined with Del Taco's fresh ingredients, such as hand-grated cheddar, handmade pico de gallo, hand-sliced avocado and slow-cooked beans made from scratch, Queso Blanco will be featured in the following menu items:

• Queso Crunch Taco : Our Del Taco -- a crunchy taco shell layered with seasoned beef, crisp lettuce, hand-grated cheddar cheese and fresh diced tomatoes -- wrapped in a warm flour tortilla with a layer of creamy Queso Blanco in between.
• Queso Loaded Nachos : Fresh house-made tortilla chips, loaded with slow-cooked beans made from scratch, creamy Queso Blanco, fresh diced tomatoes, sliced jalapenos, cool sour cream and your choice of seasoned beef, fresh grilled chicken, or fresh grilled carne asada.
• Queso Bean Burrito : Slow-cooked beans made from scratch, creamy Queso Blanco and freshly hand-grated cheddar cheese all rolled up in a warm flour tortilla.
• Queso Fries : Del Taco's famous Crinkle-Cut fries smothered in creamy Queso Blanco and topped with fresh hand-grated cheddar cheese.
• Chips & Queso Dip : Fresh house-made tortilla chips served with a side of creamy Queso Blanco.

In addition to the menu offerings above, guests can add Queso Blanco to any item for just 50 cents.**

*By number of units ** Price and participation may vary

About Del Taco Restaurants, Inc. Del Taco ( NASDAQ : TACO ) offers a unique variety of both Mexican and American favorites such as burritos and fries, prepared fresh in every restaurant's working kitchen with the value and convenience of a drive-thru. Del Taco's menu items taste better because they are made with quality ingredients like freshly grated cheddar, hand-chopped pico de gallo, sliced avocado, slow-cooked beans made from scratch, and fresh-grilled marinated chicken and carne asada. The brand's UnFreshing Believable® campaign further communicates Del Taco's commitment to provide guests with the best quality and value for their money. Founded in 1964, today Del Taco serves more than three million guests each week at its more than 550 restaurants across 15 states. For more information, visit www.deltaco.com .