Kenny D.
Yelp
I'll split this into two reviews, as I've gone twice in the last 48 hours. I'll preface it by stating that the key here is to not compare this restaurant to its main competitor, who shall remain nameless (bell sounds in the background).
The service: My first visit was the night before last in the very late evening. My wife and I sat in the drive-through, waiting for an extended period of time as we stared at the one car at the window. After upwards of 5 minutes, I called out, "Hello?" to the 2-way speaker, much to the wife's disagreement. She knew that I knew that the attendant knew we were there. I playfully did it as a way to remind the person that they should have at least greeted us with something like, "Welcome to Del Taco. Please take a moment to look over the menu and I'll be with you in a moment." Note: Acknowledge your customer's presence and don't keep them guessing.
After another 20 seconds, a voice replied, "I'll be with you in a minute". She didn't sound rude, but it wasn't entirely welcoming either. After a few additional minutes, she apologized and took our order. It seemed that there were only two people working there, probably as a result of the difficulty of finding people to work fast food these days. I guess that's why we had to wait for so long.
The food: We ordered two beef tacos and two tamales (being my favorite Mexican dish - I was surprised to find them available at a fast food restaurant) with cheese and chili sauce. I didn't care for the taco at all. The tortilla felt a bit moist and a tad rubbery, the meat's taste, temperature and texture were subpar and it had way too much cheese (like that "nameless" restaurant that stacks way too much cheese on their signature chili). The cheese was finely shredded, but the taste just wasn't there either. The tamale, though I expected little with it not being authentic (tamales take dedicated time to make - over a day) was really disappointing. Again, too much cheese and the meat sauce wasn't very good at all. I'll have to give it another shot and order them without any sauce next time.
I concluded that I wouldn't drive that distance again, at least not for those food items.
Today's visit: I drove through in the early afternoon and still waited a little longer than I felt necessary, but I was expecting it. When I got to the window, there was only one person in sight. She was a very pleasant young lady named Dionna(?) who had immediately greeted me when I pulled up and said she'd be with me shortly.
This time, as per my son's suggestion, I ordered the Grilled Chicken taco. OMG - I thought I was at a different restaurant! The tortilla tasted better, it had less cheese (which tasted the same), but the chicken was amazing! I added mild sauce after the first bite, but felt it was better without it and ate it as presented.
I also had a vanilla shake, which was another winner (imho). In fact, I'd put it against the shakes of many fast food joints that specialize in frozen dairy. It was of great density; a bit harder to pull out and rich, but in subtle fashion, which I liken to the shakes and malts of my teen years (the 80s). The only downside was the straw, a bit TOO large in circumference, making it even harder to pull through comfortably. If you've ever taken a pulmonary test, you know the difficulty of passing air through larger holes. Still, that wasn't enough to undo the great taste.
I will return to try the hamburger at some point, in addition to a tamale without sauce (they also offer red & green sauce), as long as they're in season (I believe it's a promotional item). I will also enjoy a few more of the chicken tacos, which in my opinion is the real selling point.
I give them three stars as an average between "could've been better" and "good", but five stars for Dionna.