Jack In The Box Just Sold Del Taco For $115 Million—After Paying $585 Million For It Three Years Ago

Jack in the Box is officially letting go of Del Taco—and at a massive loss. The fast-food chain just announced it’s selling Del Taco Holdings to Yadav Enterprises Inc. for $115 million in cash. The deal is expected to close by January 2026.

If that number sounds low, that’s because it is. Jack in the Box originally bought Del Taco for roughly $585 million in 2022, meaning they’re taking a serious haircut on this one—about $200,000 per restaurant across Del Taco’s 550-plus locations.

The sale marks a dramatic course correction for Jack in the Box, which said the move is part of its plan to “return to simplicity” and refocus on its core brand after a few rough quarters of declining sales. CEO Lance Tucker said in a statement that Yadav Enterprises is “the right steward” for Del Taco’s next chapter. Translation: We’re done here.

But for Yadav Enterprises, this is a major win. The company already owns nearly 350 restaurants across brands like Denny’s, El Pollo Loco, Corner Bakery Café, Sizzler, TGI Friday’s, and even a few Jack in the Box franchises. They also scooped up Taco Cabana back in 2021, meaning they now own two regional Mexican chains—a serious step up from just being a franchise operator.

So while Jack in the Box seems to be cutting losses, Yadav’s building an empire. The group’s move from franchisee to full-fledged owner shows a strategic flex in the fast-casual Mexican food game.

Jack, on the other hand, looks like they just didn’t know what to do with that taco energy.