Place: Del Taco
Lunch: Del Beef burrito, Del Classic chicken burrito (no lettuce, no tomato), Classic taco (no tomato), hash brown sticks, Dr. Pepper
I'm at the newest (and only) Del Taco in Texas. It's not the first time Del Taco has tried to make a go of it here. This one probably won't last.
It's an odd location in that it's the only Del Taco I know of that shares real estate with another tenant. The duplex building is Del Taco on one side and Five Guys Burgers & Fries on the other. There's another reason this is odd...Del Taco ALSO sells burgers.
A rare Texas Carl's Jr is on this row too in a building that originated as a Krystal. Wienerschnitzel used to be up the street. I'm pretty sure one of Texas's first In-N-Outs is planned along this strip. (That's not a joke...they're really coming.) Might as well be in California.
Del Taco has FINALLY come up with a new decor package. It's about ten years past due. It's not exactly head-turning, but it's an improvement.
I ordered my food from Confused Counter Girl. It was one of those experiences where I double-checked the receipt (which she printed out THREE TIMES) to make sure it was right. I got my drink and settled into one of the bright green plastic chairs that dominated the half-filled dining room. Every new Del Taco outside of their core markets I've been to are usually this busy. But they never last.
After awhile, I wander up to the counter to see where my order is. There's the tray with one taco and one burrito on it. Hmmm. It's clear from the kitchen conversation that nobody has any idea what they're doing, and every order is a big mess. Another customer slides up next to me. "How's it going?" he asked.
"Fine," I say. "How are you?"
"Not too bad. What's your order number?"
"45".
"Oh good, then it's not just me."
"I get the impression this isn't the most experienced crew," I say.
"They just opened two weeks ago, and half the crew has already quit," he says.
You know, this guy actually looks like Morning Drive-Thru Window Guy at the Lehi, Utah Del Taco now that I think about it.
They call my number, which gets the other guy excited. "Hey! That's you!" On the tray is two tacos and one burrito. I pull out my receipt and show the guy what's supposed to be on it. He shouts to the crew, "This isn't right! He has his receipt, and it's not even close!" He sends me off with the burrito, taco, and extra taco. I discover they made both tacos the way I ordered the chicken burrito (with no lettuce and tomato instead of just no tomato). I'll pass that one. The chicken burrito and hash brown sticks are delivered to my table a few minutes later.
The guy I was talking to is sitting with his wife and child. They now have their food, and they start praying. They're praying hard. REALLY hard. I ate half a burrito in the time it took them to finish. Maybe they were praying that their order was right.
I'm on the 'way back' side of the semi-annual Dublin Dr. Pepper run. I started this at 2am. I was up at 2am because I fell asleep at 7:30 last night. No idea why, but I sure have a lot done already today.
Can't complain about that.
