Naugles
Naugles was a Southern California Mexican fast-food chain founded in 1970, later revived as a limited-scale restaurant and pop-up brand.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Naugles was a Mexican fast-food restaurant chain founded in Riverside, California, in 1970 by Dick Naugle, a former partner in Del Taco. The brand developed in Southern California around a compact menu of tacos, burritos, tostadas, beans, and other inexpensive Mexican-inspired fast-food items. Its operating philosophy was summarized by the motto “Prepare food fresh. Serve customer fast. Keep place clean!” The chain changed ownership in 1979, when Harold Butler acquired it while it had three restaurants. Butler expanded Naugles through a non-exclusive franchising system and grew the chain to approximately 275 restaurants by 1984. A federal court later ruled that the non-exclusive franchise system was unlawful. That same year, Butler sold Naugles to Collins Foods International. Naugles was absorbed into the Del Taco system in 1988 after businessman Anwar Soliman acquired both companies at roughly the same time. Some Naugles menu concepts, including items using the “Macho” designation, were subsequently incorporated into Del Taco’s menu. Del Taco then progressively converted Naugles restaurants to its own brand. In 1989, Soliman announced plans to convert most of the chain’s 171 remaining units. By the time the integrated company was sold in January 1990 to a group of Del Taco managers led by president Wayne W. Armstrong, only 59 Naugles restaurants remained. The phase-out continued during the early and middle 1990s. By August 1992, only 31 restaurants remained, located in Utah, Nevada, Missouri, and Illinois. Further conversions eliminated most of those sites. The last known original Naugles restaurant closed in Carson City, Nevada, in 1995, ending the chain’s first operating era. Interest in the brand persisted among former customers, particularly in Southern California. In 2006, entrepreneur Christian Ziebarth created an online remembrance page through his Orange County Mexican Restaurants blog. The response from former customers helped turn nostalgia into an organized revival effort. Ziebarth, Josh Maxwell, Dan Dvorak, and chef John Smittle worked to re-create the historic menu and pursue control of the abandoned Naugles trademarks. In March 2015, the group prevailed in a Trademark Trial and Appeal Board proceeding, enabling the new venture to use the Naugles name for a restaurant in Fountain Valley. The revived brand opened a Fountain Valley test kitchen in July 2015 and attracted large crowds, at times exhausting its food supplies. Its first regular daily location opened on Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach in May 2016. The revival subsequently tested seasonal, temporary, and permanent formats in Huntington Beach, Stanton, Artesia, and at Bolsa Chica State Beach. Several locations operated only briefly, while the Huntington Beach beach location continued as a seasonal operation until 2021. In March 2025, the company moved toward a food-truck format. Naugles therefore remains best understood as a historically significant regional fast-food brand with a later fan-driven revival, rather than as a continuously operating national chain.
History
Naugles began in 1970 at the southwest corner of 14th Street and Brockton Avenue in Riverside, California. Its founder, Dick Naugle, had previously been a partner in Del Taco. The original concept was a Southern California quick-service Mexican restaurant emphasizing fresh preparation, fast service, and cleanliness. That operating promise was expressed in the chain’s motto: “Prepare food fresh. Serve customer fast. Keep place clean!” Harold Butler bought Naugles in 1979, when the business consisted of three restaurants. Under Butler’s ownership, the chain expanded rapidly through non-exclusive franchises. By 1984, it had reached approximately 275 restaurants. The franchising arrangement later became the subject of federal litigation and was ruled unlawful by a federal court. Butler sold the chain to Collins Foods International in 1984. Naugles’ corporate independence ended in 1988. Businessman Anwar Soliman acquired Naugles and Del Taco at approximately the same time, bringing the two businesses together. Although Naugles restaurants initially continued to operate under their own name, some of the brand’s products were transferred into Del Taco’s menu. Items carrying the “Macho” designation were among the concepts that influenced the continuing Del Taco offering. The conversion process accelerated in 1989. Soliman announced that most of the 171 Naugles locations would become Del Taco restaurants by the end of that summer. In January 1990, Soliman sold the integrated company to four Del Taco managers led by president Wayne W. Armstrong. At that point, 59 Naugles locations remained: 25 in California and 34 in Utah, Nevada, Missouri, and Arizona. By August 1992, only 31 locations remained, and none were in California. The remaining restaurants were concentrated in Utah, Nevada, Missouri, and Illinois. Additional conversions took place in 1994. Seven of eight remaining Nevada restaurants were changed to Del Taco in March. Del Taco later stated that the Nevada conversions produced a substantial sales increase at the converted sites. The remaining Utah restaurants were converted by October, and the four restaurants in the metropolitan St. Louis area were converted by December. The last original Naugles restaurant, located on Highway 50 in Carson City, Nevada, closed in 1995. It was not converted to Del Taco and later became a different local restaurant. This ended the original chain’s 25-year run. The brand survived in consumer memory. In 2006, Christian Ziebarth created a remembrance page on his Orange County Mexican Restaurants blog. Hundreds of responses demonstrated continuing interest in Naugles’ food and identity. The online attention also attracted interest from Del Taco’s public-relations staff, while later reporting in 2012 and 2013 documented efforts to bring the brand back. Ziebarth and chef John Smittle worked to reconstruct the original menu and flavors. Ziebarth, Josh Maxwell, and Dan Dvorak pursued the abandoned trademark and organized pop-ups to test demand and build a community around the revival. On March 31, 2015, the group won a Trademark Trial and Appeal Board judgment permitting use of the Naugles name for a restaurant in Fountain Valley. The legal decision was central to the revival because the original company’s successor, Del Taco, was found to have abandoned the relevant trademarks. A Fountain Valley test kitchen opened on July 25, 2015, initially serving fans connected through an unofficial Facebook community. The response overwhelmed the small operation, which ran out of food several times and closed early because it could not maintain supplies. The revived brand’s first daily operating location opened on Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach on May 28, 2016. It occupied a former Wahoo’s Fish Taco site and operated as a seasonal beach location until the end of summer 2021. A second Huntington Beach site opened briefly in summer 2017. The revival continued through flexible formats rather than a large conventional chain rollout. A Stanton location opened in January 2020 with outdoor seating, limited indoor seating, and a drive-through. A short-lived Artesia location opened in April 2023 and closed roughly seven months later. During summer 2024, the brand operated a Bolsa Chica State Beach pop-up. In March 2025, it introduced a food truck, suggesting a shift toward lower-commitment and mobile operations. The revival achieved notable legal and cultural visibility, but the short duration of several locations indicates that its operating model has remained experimental. Its current status and long-term scale are not established by the available reference material.
- 2025
Food-truck format introduced
[1]The company introduces a food truck after years of operating seasonal and temporary restaurant formats.
- 2020
Stanton restaurant opens
[1]Naugles opens a Stanton location with a drive-through and mixed indoor-outdoor seating.
- 2016
First revived daily location opens
[1]The revived brand begins daily operations on Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach.
- 2015
Trademark judgment enables revival
[1]The revival group receives a Trademark Trial and Appeal Board judgment allowing use of the Naugles name.
- 2006
Online nostalgia movement develops
[1]Christian Ziebarth’s remembrance page generates substantial interest among former customers and helps initiate the later revival.
- 1995
Original Naugles chain ends
[1]The last known original Naugles restaurant closes in Carson City, Nevada.
- 1989
Del Taco conversion program begins
[1]Soliman announces plans to convert most of the 171 remaining Naugles restaurants to Del Taco.
- 1988
Naugles merges into the Del Taco system
[1]Anwar Soliman acquires Naugles and Del Taco at roughly the same time, bringing the brands under integrated ownership.
- 1984
Chain reaches approximately 275 restaurants and is sold
[1]Naugles reaches about 275 restaurants before Butler sells it to Collins Foods International.
- 1979
Harold Butler acquires Naugles
[1]Harold Butler purchases the three-unit chain and begins a major expansion period.
Products and positioning
Freshly prepared, quickly served, clean, value-oriented Mexican fast food with a strong Southern California identity and, in its revived form, a nostalgia-driven fan community.
Mexican fast food · 1970
Original Naugles Mexican fast-food menu
The original chain served a compact Mexican-inspired fast-food menu built around tacos, burritos, tostadas, beans, and related inexpensive items. Its appeal was tied to freshly prepared food, rapid counter service, and a distinctive Southern California restaurant identity.
Mexican fast food
Macho menu items
“Macho” was used as a designation for some Naugles menu items. After the Naugles and Del Taco businesses were integrated, several of these concepts were carried into the regular Del Taco menu, although the original Naugles-branded presentation disappeared with the chain.
Mexican fast food · 2015
Revived Naugles menu
The revived operation reconstructed the historic Naugles menu and flavors from scratch. The menu functioned as both a commercial offering and a cultural restoration project aimed at former customers and fans who remembered the original chain.
Mobile food service · 2025
Naugles food truck
Introduced in March 2025, the food truck represents a mobile version of the revived Naugles concept and a move away from relying exclusively on short-term or fixed restaurant locations.
Controversies
Marketing campaigns
- 2024Bolsa Chica State Beach pop-up
Southern California
Naugles operated a seasonal pop-up at Bolsa Chica State Beach from May through September, continuing its use of temporary, location-specific formats.
Outcome. The pop-up ended after the summer season; broader long-term results are not established in the available material.
- 2015Fan-led pop-up and test-kitchen revival
Southern California
The revival team used pop-ups and a Fountain Valley test kitchen to rebuild the menu, collect customer feedback, and establish a community around the restored brand.
Outcome. The initial opening drew crowds beyond the small kitchen’s capacity, creating substantial attention but also supply shortages and early closures.
- 2006Orange County Mexican Restaurants remembrance project
United States
Christian Ziebarth used his Orange County Mexican Restaurants blog to publish a remembrance of Naugles and invite discussion about the defunct chain. The response from former customers helped demonstrate latent demand for a revival.
Outcome. The online discussion became an early organizing point for the later trademark and restaurant revival effort.
Brand decisions
2025
Shift toward a food-truck modelStrategyBackground
Several revived Naugles locations had operated only briefly or seasonally, including sites in Huntington Beach, Artesia, and Bolsa Chica State Beach.
Action taken
The company introduced a food truck in March 2025.
Aftermath
The move indicates a more mobile and lower-commitment operating format, but the available material does not establish its long-term outcome.
2015
Pursue and secure abandoned Naugles trademark rightsOtherBackground
The revival group sought to restore a defunct brand whose trademarks were treated as abandoned by the original company’s successor, Del Taco.
Action taken
Christian Ziebarth, Josh Maxwell, and Dan Dvorak won a Trademark Trial and Appeal Board judgment permitting use of the Naugles name for a new restaurant.
Aftermath
The ruling enabled the Fountain Valley test kitchen and subsequent revived Naugles locations.
1989
Convert most remaining Naugles restaurants to Del TacoStrategyBackground
After the brands came under integrated ownership, management chose to consolidate the restaurant estate under the Del Taco name.
Action taken
Soliman announced that most of the 171 remaining Naugles locations would be converted by the end of summer.
Aftermath
The number of Naugles locations fell sharply, with only 59 remaining by January 1990 and none in California by August 1992.
1988
Integrate Naugles with Del TacoM&ABackground
Anwar Soliman acquired Naugles and Del Taco at approximately the same time, creating a basis for operating the two restaurant systems together.
Action taken
Naugles was merged into the Del Taco system, while selected Naugles menu concepts were transferred to Del Taco.
Aftermath
The integration led to a progressive conversion of Naugles restaurants into Del Taco units and ultimately ended the original Naugles chain.
Recent events
- 2025
Naugles introduces food-truck format[1]
Product launch
The company shifted toward a food-truck format, marking a change from its earlier emphasis on short-term restaurant locations.
- 2024
Naugles operates Bolsa Chica State Beach pop-up[1]
Campaign
The revived brand operated a pop-up at Bolsa Chica State Beach from May through September.
- 2023
Naugles briefly opens in Artesia[1]
Product launch
A temporary Naugles location opened on Artesia Boulevard in April and closed approximately seven months later.
- 2021
Huntington Beach seasonal location closes[1]
Other
The revived Naugles beach-front seasonal location in Huntington Beach closed at the end of the summer season after operating there since 2016.
- 2020
Naugles opens Stanton location[1]
Product launch
The revived brand opened a Stanton restaurant with outdoor seating, limited indoor seating, and a drive-through.
- 2017
Naugles tests additional Huntington Beach location[1]
Product launch
A second Huntington Beach location on Warner Avenue opened for a short summer operating period.
- 2016
Revived Naugles begins daily operation in Huntington Beach[1]
Product launch
The first daily operating location of the revived brand opened on Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach, California.
- 2015
Naugles revival group wins trademark judgment[1]
Other
Christian Ziebarth, Josh Maxwell, and Dan Dvorak won a Trademark Trial and Appeal Board judgment allowing their group to use the Naugles name for a new restaurant venture.
- 2015
Revived Naugles opens Fountain Valley test kitchen[1]
Product launch
The revival team opened a test kitchen in Fountain Valley. The initial fan response was strong enough that the restaurant ran short of supplies and had to close early on several days.
Sources1 sources
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