Del Taco vs Rusty Taco: Which Franchise Is Best?

Are you interested in learning the differences between franchising with Del Taco vs Rusty Taco?

At Del Taco, we know you have a wide variety of decisions to make when it comes to finding the best franchise opportunity for yourself.

In this article, we’ll take an in-depth look at five key differences between Del Taco and Rusty Taco when it comes to franchising.

1) Available Markets

Finding an available market where you can build your restaurants is one of the most important steps in your journey to franchise ownership.

Let’s take a look at the number of current locations for both brands:

• Del Taco: +590 Locations
• Rusty Taco: +30 Locations

As you can see, both brands have plenty of whitespace for new franchisees to take advantage of in the United States - especially when compared to Taco Bell with more than 7,000 locations.

When you look at our map of available markets at Del Taco, you’ll see most of the cities and states outside of Idaho, Utah, and Nevada are open for new development.

This gives you an opportunity to build locations in some of the most exciting markets in the country. Plus, you may have a better chance at finding availability in your preferred location.

2) Investment Requirements

Before you begin the process of becoming a franchisee, you must meet three different investment requirements.

These requirements typically involve a minimum for liquid cash and net worth along with a franchise fee for each location you plan to operate.

Del Taco Investment Requirements:

• Minimum Liquidity: $500,000
• Minimum Net Worth: $1,000,000
• Franchise Fee: $35,000 per Location

Rusty Taco Investment Requirements:

• Minimum Liquidity: $500,000
• Minimum Net Worth: $1,000,000
• Franchise Fee: $25,000 per Location

The investment requirements for Del Taco and Rusty Taco are almost identical. Keep in mind, you’ll also be responsible for paying ongoing royalty fees as a franchisee.

Del Taco charges an ongoing 5% royalty of net sales and 4% ongoing marketing royalty.

Rusty Taco charges a 5% royalty of gross sales and 5% ad fee.

3) Business Partners

If you’re unable to meet the financial requirements mentioned above, there are many potential sources of liquidity that may be overlooked. For example:

• Business Partners
• Stocks & Bonds
• 401k Rollovers
• Home Equity

At Del Taco, we allow our franchisees to have business partners to help them meet investment requirements.

Currently, the Rusty Taco franchising website doesn’t mention if they allow their franchisees to operate with business partners.

4) Real Estate Ownership

Another factor to consider when starting a franchise is whether the brand allows you to own the real estate associated with their restaurant.

At Del Taco, our franchisees are given the option to purchase or lease the property where their restaurants are located.

We even have an entire real estate and leasing team to help you find a location or assist with lease negotiations as needed.

Rusty Taco currently does not state if they allow franchisees to own the real estate their location is associated with on their website.

5) Fresh Ingredients

One thing both of these Tex-Mex brands have in common is their focus on using fresh ingredients throughout the menu.

Since 1964, Del Taco has been serving freshly prepared, craveable food at an unbeatable value for our customers.

Our menu features tacos and burritos as well as burgers and fries. Plus, we span a full complement of dayparts from breakfast to dinner to late night and everything in-between.

We believe fresh tastes better, and it shows when you see ingredients like:

• House-Grated Cheddar Cheese
• Slow-Cooked Beans from Scratch
• House-Made Pico de Gallo
• Freshly Grilled, Marinated Chicken
• House-Made Guacamole
• Freshly Grilled, Marinated Carne Asada Steak

Rusty Taco offers a simple menu with tasty and authentic tacos prepared fresh every day in an uncomplicated cooking environment.

Check Out These Additional Resources

We hope this article gave you a better understanding of the differences between Del Taco and Rusty Taco when it comes to franchising.

At Del Taco, we work with our franchisees every step of the way to get their restaurants up and running.

Here are some additional online resources you may like to check out:

• How Much Does a Del Taco Franchise Cost?
• 15 Best Taco Franchises to Own
• Which Taco Franchise Makes the Most Money?

If you have any questions, please contact our franchise sales and support team.