TACO Del Taco Restaurants Inc

Del Taco Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ: TACO), the nation’s second largest Mexican quick service restaurant*, has signed a deal with successful North Carolina-based franchise group, Ram Restaurants Inc. (“Ram Restaurants”) to open five units within the Raleigh and Durham areas. The deal, expected to bring Del Taco restaurants to North Carolina for the first time, comes only weeks after Del Taco announced a development agreement for Southern Virginia.

“On the heels of a great run of multi-year same store sales growth and a stated desire to penetrate the Southeastern US, we are seeing incredible demand for Del Taco across the region and have been working diligently to solidify partnerships with likeminded franchisees to bring forth our vision for growth in these markets,” said Jeff Little, SVP of Development. “The Ram team has demonstrated a strong dedication to providing top notch customer service and the quality of fresh, delicious food we want to serve, which aligns perfectly with our beliefs at Del Taco. We are very happy to partner with the team to bring Del Taco to the residents of North Carolina.”

Del Taco’s unique QSR+ positioning within the Mexican quick-service segment presents great growth potential for experienced multi-unit operators and private equity firms looking to diversify portfolios. With development areas open across the U.S., Del Taco is continuing to seek multi-unit operators who are looking for the opportunity to claim a territory and grow alongside the company, particularly in the Carolinas, Florida, Georgia, Alabama and more. To learn more about Del Taco’s franchise opportunity, visit www.deltacofranchise.com.

*By number of units.

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 grilled chicken and carne asada steak, fresh house-made guacamole, freshly grated cheddar cheese, slow-cooked beans made from scratch, and signature creamy Queso Blanco.

Founded in 1964, today Del Taco serves more than three million guests each week at its approximately 600 restaurants across 16 states. Del Taco’s commitment to providing guests with the best quality and value for their money originates from cooking, chopping, shredding and grilling menu items from scratch. For more information, visit www.deltaco.com.

Media ContactTara WoodallAllison + Partnersdeltaco@allisonpr.com  619-342-9386