Del Taco Gets Word Out--and Pictures Too

Del Taco Inc.’s new advertising campaign is designed to be both heard and seen.

While the Orange-based Mexican-style fast food company has advertised mainly on the radio in recent years, the new “Feed the Need” campaign will be top-heavy with television advertisements.

“We had a lot of success with the radio in the past,” said Del Taco Vice President Lou Franson. “But Del Taco has changed considerably. The company is in the midst of an ambitious program to open 1,000 restaurants by the year 2000.

“Consumers need to see what we’re all about,” Franson said, “and TV will help us build reach and awareness quickly.”

The “Feed the Need” campaign is designed to draw new patrons or remind old customers that the 30-year-old company is still an alternative in the hotly competitive fast-food arena.

The first commercial in the advertising campaign shows an impatient man pull into a line of cars heading toward a Del Taco drive-through window. The man doesn’t want to wait for an indecisive customer to place his order, so he cuts in line and grabs the second customer’s food. The commercial ends with the “Feed the Need” tagline.

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Greg Johnson covers retail businesses and restaurants for The Times. He can be reached at (714) 966-5950 and at greg.johnson@latimes.com