A Spokane-based franchisee for Del Taco fast-food restaurants says it has begun work on a Del Taco outlet in Coeur dAlene and hopes to opening another one soon in Post Falls.


The franchisee, Liberty Foods & GVD LLC, opened its Del Taco first outlet in late 2002, at 12226 N. Division in Spokane, and announced plans at that time to open as many as 15 Del Tacos across the Inland Northwest. It now says it plans to have a total of 10 such outlets in the Inland Northwest, including six in the Spokane-Coeur dAlene area.


We have three target sites in Spokane, and another in Coeur dAlene, says Steven Ridenour, a co-owner of Liberty Foods. We hope to go to the Moscow and Lewiston area down the road.


The planned outlet in Coeur dAlene will be located at the southwest corner of Prairie Avenue and U.S. 95. The 2,500-square-foot eatery is to open in late July and will employ 50 people, says Ridenour. Its such a great location. We think its going to do very well.


In Post Falls, the company would like to open a Del Taco outlet at the southwest corner of Mullan Avenue and state Route 41. Plans for that restaurant havent been wrapped up yet because the developer of the property also is negotiating with other possible tenants, including another national restaurant chain and a convenience store chain, Ridenour says. He says its possible that Del Taco will share the site with other tenants or Liberty Food will choose another Post Falls site for a Del Taco there. Ridenour declines to identify the other possible tenants.


The design for the Coeur dAlene outlet is a corporate prototype. Architectural drawings were done by Bernardo-Wills Architects PC, of Spokane. North River Construction LLC, a Post Falls company affiliated with Ridenour, is building the restaurant.


Liberty Foods & GVD is owned by Ridenour, Coeur dAlene neurosurgeon, Dr. Bret Dirks and Gerald Vance Jerry Dicker, a southern California developer.


Del Taco restaurants typically employ between 20 and 30 people and serve fast-food Mexican cuisine, such as tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and nachos, as well as American items such as burgers, fries, and milkshakes, Ridenour says. Del Taco Inc., the chains Laguna Hills, Calif.-based franchiser, currently has more than 400 restaurants in 10 states.