Del Taco began serving Beyond Meat in 2019. I will never forget that year because we moved to a new state and I remember driving down the road and seeing a billboard for Beyond Meat’s debut at Del Taco.
What I’m now trying to remember is if this was the first vegan billboard I had ever seen… Needless to say, it was exciting.
A few days ago (May 2023), we received a couple of emails from our VeggL community letting us know they could no longer order Beyond Meat at Del Taco.
Immediately, I take a deep breath. Please do not let this be true. But what are the odds that these emails came in so close together, saying the same thing?
Is Del Taco’s Beyond Meat Discontinued?
I check Del Taco’s website.
There are NO Beyond Meat menu items to be found.
I contacted Del Taco to ask if this was true and if so, why?
How Did Del Taco Respond To My Questions?
Here is the response I received:
Unfortunately, due to low sales, we have made the decision to discontinue serving Beyond Meat at all locations. We value our long standing partnership with Beyond Meat, and are continuing to explore potential new and innovative plant based menu items with them.
This means the Beyond Guacamole Taco, Beyond Taco, Epic Beyond Fresh Guacamole Burrito, Beyond 8 Layer Burrito and Beyond Meat Taco Salad with Fresh Guac (most with modifications) have been removed from their menu.
We also had a modified version of their Loaded Nachos that you could order.
What Are Del Taco’s Vegan Options?
Now that you can no longer order Beyond Meat at Del Taco (saying that is going to take some getting used to), you do have a few options.
But be prepared, we are going back to just beans.
For the fullest vegan option, you can order the 8 Layer Veggie Burrito with NO cheese or sour cream. It comes with slow-cooked beans, cilantro lime rice, guacamole, tomatoes, lettuce and red sauce.
And for the lightest, The Del Taco or Tostada could be options.
With The Del Taco, order it either crunchy or soft, with NO cheese and SUB the beef with either slow-cooked beans or black beans.
The Tostada needs to be ordered with NO cheese then add a sauce (Pico De Gallo, Green Sauce, Red Sauce, Salsa Casera, Taco Sauce or California Chili Sauce or even Guacamole) to top it with.
If you’re looking for a side, Del Taco is known for their Crinkle Fries* but you could order Chips with Guacamole as well.
You can also visit our complete Del Taco Vegan Guide
. We list each menu item with how to modify it, if needed, and even include an FAQ with additional questions you might have.
*As with any restaurant that is not 100% vegan or does not offer a designated cooking space for their vegan options, cross-contamination can occur and fryers/grills may be shared with animal products. You can choose what your level of comfort is with these potential issues.
In Conclusion…
Del Taco removing Beyond Meat after this long is disappointing. It also proves once again that asking for plant-based menu items and then not proving our demand is not working.
And I know the pandemic and higher costs of just about everything are coming into play. It’s such a shame that the vegan community was finally being heard by many chain restaurants, changes were made and now it’s regressing.
I’m hoping another reason is that many people have more access to 100% vegan restaurants and that they are being supported!
If we hear of new information relating to this change or the future of Del Taco’s vegan options, we will keep you updated on their guide.
