Del Taco and Texas Roadhouse planning new restaurants on the Treasure Coast

Del Taco and Texas Roadhouse could open their first and second Treasure Coast locations, respectively, if Indian River County approves development plans for a site south of the Indian River Mall in Vero Beach.

Both restaurants and a third building are proposed for an undeveloped plot at 6250 20th St., which IR Mall Associates, LTD acquired in 2019 for $100 through a conservation easement, according to county records.

The county released the conservation easement after staff determined the hand fern being protected no longer was present on the property, according to county records.

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Del Taco and Texas Roadhouse coming soon?

The site proposal includes:

• Texas Roadhouse: 8,895 square feet with 119 parking spots
• Building 3: 4,200 square feet with 56 parking spots; undetermined use or tenant
• Del Taco: 2,304 square feet with 31 parking spaces

If the county approves the plan, permitting could take six month and construction could take 12 to 18 months, according to Ryan Sweeney, the county's assistant director of Planning and Development Services.

Depending on the timing, it could be Del Taco's 11th Florida location and Texas Roadhouse's first Indian River County location. The nearest Del Taco is in Melbourne. Texas Roadhouse opened its first Treasure Coast location in 2019 in St. Lucie West on Peacock Boulevard.

What is Del Taco?

Ed Hackbarth and David Jameson opened the first Del Taco in 1964 in Yermo, California. The original menu featured a mix of Mexican staples such as tacos and tostadas and American fast-food classics such as french fries and cheeseburgers.

Since its inception 50 years ago, the Tex-Mex fast-food chain has expanded nationwide with 597 U.S. locations in 11 states.

What is Texas Roadhouse?

The first Texas Roadhouse was opened in 1993 by Kent Taylor in Clarksville, Indiana. Since then, the restaurant has opened 703 restaurants in 49 states, one U.S. territory and 10 countries.

Texas Roadhouse is an American steakhouse chain famous for its biscuits and honey cinnamon butter, rattlesnake bites and hand-cut steak cuts.

Gianna Montesano is TCPalm’s trending reporter. You can contact her at gianna.montesano@tcpalm.com , 772-409-1429, or follow her on Twitter @gonthescene .

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Del Taco and Texas Roadhouse planning new restaurants on the Treasure Coast