Del Taco, the nation’s No. 2 Mexican quick serve restaurant chain, today announces it is testing The Coca-Cola Company’s new proprietary fountain, Coca-Cola Freestyle in 12 restaurants, including the dine-in and drive thru, throughout Southern California. Del Taco is among the first restaurant chains to offer the exciting new fountain technology in Southern California.
The sleek, stylish new fountains are touch screen operated, enabling people to select from more than 100 regular and low-calorie brands — including many varieties of waters, sports drinks, lemonades and sparkling beverages that, prior to the arrival of Coca-Cola Freestyle, were not available in the U.S. The self-serve fountains — which represent a complete departure from anything The Coca-Cola Company has offered previously — were in development for more than four years prior to launching in 2010.
“Del Taco’s menu has always emphasized tremendous variety with both Mexican and American favorites. We are excited to expand on this variety with the Coca-Cola Freestyle test. We know our consumers will enjoy being able to customize their drinks like they customize their meals,” said John Cappasola, Chief Brand Officer at Del Taco.
At Del Taco, all menu items are made to order using fresh ingredients including freshly grated cheddar cheese, hand-made salsa, slow-cooked lard-free beans and marinated chicken grilled fresh every hour. The menu includes Mexican offerings of tacos, burritos, quesadillas and nachos as well as American favorites like hamburgers, fries and shakes. Del Taco also serves breakfast and most restaurants are open 24 hours with a drive thru.
Coca-Cola Freestyle is now available in more than 1,100 outlets and more than 60 markets, covering 33 states across the U.S., including Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Phoenix, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C. The Company plans future U.S. introductions throughout 2011.
“We have created a concept that is quickly becoming recognized as the soda fountain of the future — a representation of the way people will experience Coca-Cola beverages years from now,” said Gene Farrell, Vice President & General Manager, Coca-Cola Freestyle.
In-market results from 2010 indicate an increase in beverage servings, total transactions and total restaurant sales. The Coca-Cola Freestyle fountain uses unique, proprietary PUREPOUR TECHNOLOGY and has the capacity to dispense more than 100 beverage varieties in the same amount of space as a standard eight-valve machine.
People can find their nearest Coca-Cola Freestyle location at www.facebook.com/coca-colafreestyle.