Del Taco Celebrates Successful Launch of Queso Blanco With a Free Taste for All

LAKE FOREST, CA--(Marketwired - Sep 12, 2017) - Del Taco Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ: TACO), the nation's second leading Mexican quick service restaurant* (MQSR), today announced that it is celebrating the successful nationwide launch of its Queso Blanco by offering guests a free order of the new menu item and a side of chips with any purchase. Made with real cheese, real milk, jalapeños and heavy cream, guests can download a coupon for Del Taco's smooth and creamy Queso Blanco by visiting deltaco.com/queso and redeeming it at restaurants nationwide** through September 28.

"Since launching our Queso products last month, our social media response has been overwhelmingly positive," said Barry Westrum, Del Taco's Chief Marketing Officer. "We're so confident that our Queso will continue to win over the hearts of cheese lovers that we decided to give all of our guests across the country a chance to sample it for free. Not only does it taste delicious, but our guests love that it is made with no artificial colors, flavors and preservatives, and unlike other chains, can be ordered from the convenience of a drive-thru."

Combined with Del Taco's fresh ingredients, such as hand-grated cheddar cheese, 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.

To get a coupon for a free order of chips and Queso dip, visit www.deltaco.com/queso and enroll as a Del Taco Raving Fan eClub member. Guests will then receive the coupon via email.

*By number of units
**Participation may vary
***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.