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Del Taco continues to push its barbell menu strategy — with one side of the menu offering value options for less than $2, and the other side providing high-quality dishes — to appeal to the taco-loving masses.

Why Del Taco is leveraging communication and storytelling in the QSR taco wars

CMO Tim Hackbardt explains how the Southern California based chain is attempting to set itself apart from its myriad competitors.

 

The quick-service taco wars heated up recently, as Taco John’s and Taco Bell sparred publicly over the former’s trademark on the term “Taco Tuesday.” It is admittedly a lopsided “war,” as Taco Bell is a juggernaut in the space, with its nearly $13 billion in 2022 sales dwarfing the second-biggest QSR taco chain by about $12 billion.

But that runner up isn’t taking the fight laying down. Del Taco continues to push its barbell menu strategy — with one side of the menu offering value options for less than $2, and the other side providing high-quality dishes — to appeal to the taco-loving masses. Recently, it’s leaned into that high-quality side of its menu for its communication strategy, leveraging storytelling both internally to its employees and externally to its guests to demonstrate its commitment to quality as a differentiator.

Del Taco chief marketing officer Tim Hackbardt joined the latest episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches to talk about those efforts, offering a peek inside Del Taco’s efforts to communicate in a rapidly fracturing media landscape, plus how the brand is setting itself apart with its value strategy.

In this conversation, you’ll learn why:

  • Your brand is full of great stories — you should talk about them
  • Guest feedback is easier to obtain than ever
  • You need a content strategy for every type of guest
  • A barbell strategy could be a good entry into a value menu

Contact Sam Oches at [email protected].

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