Restaurant Neighbor Award 2008 Finalist
California

Del Taco
Lake Forest, CA

When wildfires blazed through Southern California last October, Del Taco’s corporate office twice evacuated, and several of its restaurants closed. But that didn’t stop staff and franchisees from Del Taco’s 510 locations and corporate office from pitching in for disaster-relief efforts. Initially, employees provided food and water to firefighters. Then they distributed gift cards to evacuees in shelters. Some locations participated in community events, such as a Halloween celebration at a relief shelter. Then the company began raising money to help fire victims, especially those with children. When Del Taco designated a percentage of its Spicy Chicken Burrito sales for relief efforts, sales doubled. By January 2008, Del Taco had raised $120,000 for Red Cross relief efforts.

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