Hollis Johnson/Business Insider
Del Taco struck gold with its Beyond Meat tacos.
- Del Taco sold roughly two million Beyond Tacos - made with plant-based Beyond Meat - in less than two months.
- On Thursday, the chain announced it is launching two Beyond Meat burritos, including one stuffed with french fries.
- The Beyond Meat tacos were one of the most successful product launches in Del Taco's history.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Del Taco struck gold with its Beyond Meat tacos. Now, the chain is doubling down.
On Thursday, Del Taco announced that its Beyond Meat tacos are officially one of the best-selling new products in the chain's history. Since the fast-food chain launched the plant-based tacos in late April, Del Taco has sold roughly two million Beyond Meat tacos.
Now, the chain is launching more options with Beyond Meat: the Beyond 8 Layer Burrito and the Epic Beyond Cali Burrito.
Del Taco
The Beyond 8 Layer Burrito includes Beyond Meat crumbles, beans, guacamole, tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, red sauce, and sour cream. The Epic Beyond Cali Burrito is a burrito stuffed with Del Taco's fries alongside Beyond Meat crumbles, sour cream, guacamole, and pico de gallo salsa.
"We believe the Beyond platform will drive sales while further strengthening our QSR+ [quick-service restaurant-plus] brand position, and we see incredible future opportunity to expand this protein across our menu," CEO John Cappasola told investors soon after the Beyond Taco launch.
"The team did a great job developing a proprietary and unique flavor profile that tastes incredibly similar to our current ground beef, allowing us to broaden its appeal to not only attract vegans and vegetarians but also those looking for 'better-for-you' options or to reduce red meat without sacrificing flavor," Cappasola added.
BTIG analyst Peter Saleh said in a note in early May that he was encouraged by the same-store sales and traffic improvement following the debut of Beyond Meat at Del Taco, though it is difficult to determine at this point whether the improvement will be sustainable.
"So far, the Beyond Meat Tacos are performing above the levels of the Del Taco, one of the most successful product launches in the company's history," Saleh said.