Fast-food restaurant chain Del Taco announced Feb. 5 its plans to expand into Indiana with locations across the state, including Bloomington.
The fast-food chain finds itself with a lot of existing competition in Bloomington from chains such as Taco Bell and Taco Bell Cantina, QDOBA, Chipotle and local fast service Mexican restaurants such as Chubbies Burritos. Unlike these restaurants, Del Taco has a variety of both Mexican and American cuisine serving burritos and quesadillas as well as burgers and fries.
The restaurant offers many staples that one would expect at a Mexican restaurant: ground beef tacos and burritos and house-made guacamole. It also serves Epic Burritos, with many unique ingredient options, chili cheese fries and its signature queso.
IU students shared their feelings about the current rotation of fast-Mexican chains in Bloomington and their expectations for Del Taco entering the ring of competition. When it comes to quick and consistent Mexican food, Taco Bell is a staple for IU students like freshman Reis Lewsader and junior Nathan Win.
“I just know that when I am going to Taco Bell or Chipotle it’s usually a lot cheaper and it’s good consistently,” Lewsader said.
Lewsader said she tries to be consistent with what and where she eats because of her gluten allergies, but she would go to Del Taco when the opportunity arises.
Win also prefers Taco Bell to other options. Although options such as Chipotle can be a lot healthier, it also comes at a higher price.
“I’ll always try something new, I won’t ever knock something that I haven’t tasted before,” Win said. “So, I would definitely try (Del Taco), and if it’s cheaper or about the same price, I probably would go to that, too, if it’s equally good.”
Senior Garrett Orr felt similarly about Chipotle being on a different level of service than Taco Bell or Del Taco.
“I think given how healthy Chipotle is, I think by and large they go after different audiences, so I think (Del Taco’s) only real competitor is Taco Bell,” Orr said. “If anything, it just gives people more than one option if they want just really cheap, not the greatest for them, just ‘I just want a taco.’”
Lewsader and Orr also enjoy many of the more local Mexican places. In terms of local fast food, Orr prefers Chubbies Burritos. He mentioned the restaurant feels very homey compared to many corporate chains.
In addition to a location in Bloomington, there will be nine other locations in Indiana including Bedford, Columbus, Greenwood, Plainfield and Avon.
Director of Franchise Development and Marketing for Del Taco, Dustin Thompson, said there is no known opening date for the Bloomington location. He added that the timeline for this type of project is normally 18 to 24 months.
