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{{Short description|American Mexican-style restaurant chain}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Naugles
| logo = <!-- INSERT LOGO OF DEFUNCT COMPANY HERE - NOT THE REVIVAL -->
| trading_name =
| type = Private
| traded_as =
| industry = [[Fast food]]
| fate = Merged with Del Taco
| predecessor =
| successor = [[Del Taco]]
| foundation = {{start date and age|1970}} in [[Riverside, California]]
| founder = Dick Naugle
| defunct = {{end date and age|1995}} (last locations in [[Nevada]])
| locations = 200+
| location_city = [[Riverside, California]]
| area_served = [[Southern California]]; [[Nevada]]; Utah; St. Louis, Missouri; Orlando, Florida; Chicago, Illinois (list not complete), U.S
| key_people =
| products = [[Mexican food|Mexican]] [[United States|American]] [[fast food]]
}}
'''Naugles''' was a Southern California [[fast-food]] [[Mexican food|Mexican]] [[restaurant chain]] that existed from 1970 to 1995. A revived Naugles chain was established in 2015 by entrepreneur Christian Ziebarth, after it was ruled that the trademarks had been abandoned by the original company's successor, [[Del Taco]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=2015-04-02|title=Naugles comeback: Local food blogger wins trademark case against Del Taco|url=https://www.ocregister.com/2015/04/02/naugles-comeback-local-food-blogger-wins-trademark-case-against-del-taco/|access-date=2020-06-30|website=Orange County Register|language=en-US}}</ref>
==History==
Naugles was founded by former [[Del Taco]] partner Dick Naugle. The first Naugles restaurant was located at the southwest corner of 14th Street and Brockton Avenue, in Riverside, California (now a Del Taco) in 1970. Naugle's motto was "Prepare food fresh. Serve customer fast. Keep place clean!"
[[Harold Butler (businessman)|Harold Butler]] purchased Naugles in 1979 when the chain consisted of three restaurants. The chain was expanded by a system of non-exclusive [[Franchising|franchise]]s, which later was ruled unlawful by a federal court.<ref>{{cite book |title=Competence, Governance, and Entrepreneurship: Advances in Economic Strategy Research |last=Foss |first=Nicolai J. |author2=Mahnke, Volker |year=2000 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=0-19-925981-X |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CWGSA2ZIhOoC&q=Naugles&pg=PA232 |access-date=2008-05-10 |page=235 |oclc=50614726}}</ref> Butler built Naugles up to 275 [[restaurants]] by 1984, when he sold the chain to [[Collins Foods International]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Collins President to Lead Rescue Effort Naugles' Losses Rise; Firm Makes Several Big Changes |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-04-18-fi-720-story.html |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=1986-04-18 |access-date=2015-08-05 |first=James S. |last=Granelli}}</ref> Naugles merged with [[Del Taco]] in 1988 when businessman Anwar Soliman purchased both companies at nearly the same time.<ref>{{cite news |title=Newport Man Completes Naugles, Del Taco Purchase |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-02-02-fi-40097-story.html |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=1988-03-30 |access-date=2015-08-05 |first=Mary Ann |last=Galante}}</ref><ref name=lat-1988feb02>{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-02-02-fi-40097-story.html |title=Ganging Up on Taco Bell: Restaurateur Will Merge Del Taco, Naugles to Battle Industry Leader |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=1988-02-02 |first=Mary Ann |last=Galante}}</ref> A few of the Naugles menu items, such as those with the "Macho" designation, found their way into the regular Del Taco menu.{{cn|date=February 2024}}
Later in May 1989, Soliman announced that he was going to convert most of the 171 Naugles locations to Del Taco by the end of that summer.<ref name=ocr-1989may17>{{cite news |title=Adios to Naugles Fast-food chain to switch to Del Taco |work=[[Orange County Register]] |date=May 17, 1989 |page=c01 |first=Jeff |last=Rowe |quote=Restaurant magnate Anwar Soliman, who owns both chains, said Tuesday he will convert most of the 171 Naugles restaurants into Del Tacos by the end of the summer. Soliman's company, AWR II Acquisition Corp., converted two Naugles, at 2300 N. Tustin Avenue in Santa Ana and in Long Beach, about two months ago as a test. |id={{ProQuest|272344199}}}}</ref> By the time Soliman sold the integrated company in January 1990 to a four-member group of Del Taco managers led by President Wayne W. Armstrong, there were 59 Naugles left with 25 located in California and 34 located in Utah, Nevada, Missouri and Arizona with 290 Del Tacos in California plus a lone Del Taco in Arizona.<ref name=lat-1990jan05>{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-01-05-fi-378-story.html |title=Del Taco/Naugles Inc. Acquired in Buyout |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=January 5, 1990 |first=John |last=O'dell |quote=A four-member management group, headed by company President Wayne W. Armstrong, acquired the privately held chain from Newport Beach restaurateur Anwar Soliman for an undisclosed price. GE Credit financed the buyout by Del Taco management: Armstrong, who is also chief executive officer, and three corporate vice presidents--John Crofton, Harold Fox and Paul W. Hitzelberger. The four are equal partners in the acquisition. ...290 Del Tacos and 25 Naugles in California, the 34 Naugles in Utah, Nevada, Missouri and Arizona and the single Del Taco in Arizona.}}</ref> In August 1992, only 31 Naugles in the states of Utah, Nevada, Missouri, and Illinois remained with all the locations in California had been converted.<ref name=lvrj-1992aug18>{{cite news |title=Fast-food competition heating up |work=[[Las Vegas Review-Journal]] |date=August 18, 1992 |page=6D |first=E. Scott |last=Reckard |quote=Del Taco Inc., the nation's No. 2 Mexican fast-food chain in sales, owns or franchises 31 Naugles restaurants in Utah, Nevada, Missouri and Illinois and 289 Del Tacos, all but one in California. |id={{ProQuest|259955877}}}}</ref>
In March 1994, Del Taco converted seven of 8 remaining Naugles locations in [[Nevada]] to the Del Taco brand. The last Naugles to close in Nevada was in 1995, in [[Carson City]], Nevada. A Naugles located on [[U.S. Route 50 in Nevada|Highway 50]] in Carson City ___location was not converted to a Del Taco, but in late 1995 became a Carson City Restaurant called China East.{{citation needed|date=December 2017|reason=Not mentioned in L.A. Times. Unable to confirm claim. Without a citation from a RELIABLE reference, claim could be a fabrication. Claim also contradicts St. Louis Post-Dispatch article.}} Del Taco stated that the Nevada conversions led to a great increase in sales at those locations.<ref name=lat-1994mar18>{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-03-18-fi-35833-story.html |title=Las Vegas Conversions Paying Off in Big Sales at Del Taco Restaurants |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=March 18, 1994 |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |quote=Del Taco Inc. said Thursday that it has converted seven former Naugles restaurants in Las Vegas into Del Tacos, and seen big sales increases as a result. He said that since the change, the restaurants saw sales increases ranging from 70% to 180% compared to the same period last year.}}</ref> Seven months later, Del Taco announced it had completed converting all six remaining Naugles locations in the state of Utah in October 1994.<ref name=slt-1994oct12>{{cite news |title=Briefly |work=[[Salt Lake Tribune]] |date=October 12, 1994 |page=B4 |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |quote=Del Taco Inc. has opened six restaurants along the Wasatch Front, completing a $1 million changeover of former Naugles restaurants. The Southern California-based chain has opened restaurants in Salt Lake City, Ogden, Orem, Sandy, American Fork and Roy. |id={{ProQuest|288581685}}}}</ref> In December 1994, Del Taco announced that they have finished converting all four Naugles in the metropolitan St. Louis area.<ref name=slpd-1994dec05>{{cite news |url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SL&p_theme=sl&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB04ECF1343E364&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |title=All Saints' Church Loses A Round to Insurance Firm |newspaper=[[St. Louis Post-Dispatch]] |date=December 5, 1994 |page=7 |edition=Five Star |first=Fred |last=Faust |url-access=subscription |quote=Naugles, meanwhile, has changed the name of all its outlets to Del Taco. St. Louis was the last area to get the changeover. Two weeks ago, the four metropolitan locations were closed for renovations and have now reopened as Del Taco. An ad campaign is under way to introduce the name. |id={{ProQuest|303868800}}}}</ref> According to the 1994 article in the [[St. Louis Post-Dispatch]], the four Naugles locations in St. Louis were the last sites that were converted to Del Taco.<ref name=slpd-1994dec05 />
The last four remaining Naugles locations, all in Nevada, closed in 1994–1995. In the [[Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas]] area, 3 restaurants closed circa 1994/95. The last Naugles ___location, in [[Carson City]] [[Nevada]], on Highway 50 East, closed in 1995.{{citation needed|date=August 2015|reason=Are there any references that can support this paragraph?}}
==Revival==
{{advert|section|date=February 2024}}
{{more refs|section|date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Naugles
| logo = Naugles Logo.png
| logo_caption = Logo of revival company
| trading_name =
| type = private
| traded_as =
| industry = [[Fast food]]
| fate =
| predecessor =
| successor =
| foundation = {{start date and age|2015}} in [[Fountain Valley, California]]
| founders = Christian Ziebarth, Josh Maxwell, Dan Dvorak
| defunct =
| locations = 3
| location_city =
| area_served = Fountain Valley<br>Stanton
| key_people =
| products = [[Mexican food|Mexican]] [[United States|American]] [[fast food]]
| production =
| services =
| owner =
| num_employees =
| footnotes =
| website = {{URL|http://nauglestacos.com/}}
}}
In August 2006, blogger Christian Ziebarth posted a remembrance page on his year old ''Orange County Mexican Restaurants'' blog site on how he missed the defunct Naugles restaurant chain and wanted Del Taco to bring back some of the old but unique Naugles food items.<ref name=ow-2015apr09>{{cite news |url=http://blogs.ocweekly.com/stickaforkinit/2015/04/naugles_return_del_taco_christian_ziebarth.php |title=How an OC Food Blogger Is Bringing Back Naugles by Beating Del Taco |newspaper=[[OC Weekly]] |date=April 9, 2015 |first=Gustavo |last=Arellano |quote=In 2005, Ziebarth began O.C. Mexican Restaurants, a blog on which he reviews local eateries. In August 2006, he posted a short remembrance of Naugles. It had such staying power--comments and search-engine referrals from across the world--that Ziebarth kept updating the post with old photos of Naugles hats and menu items and, finally, a petition asking Del Taco to bring back Naugles menu items.}}</ref><ref name=ocr-2014oct26>{{cite news |url=http://www.ocregister.com/articles/naugles-638486-taco-ziebarth.html |title=Remember Naugles? Blogger fights Del Taco to revive defunct fast-food brand |newspaper=[[Orange County Register]] |date=October 26, 2014 |first=Nancy |last=Luna |quote=In 2005, he began chronicling his Mexican dining experiences through an online journal: Orange County Mexican Restaurants. In 2008, his popularity peaking, Ziebarth caught the attention of a Del Taco publicist. During a meetup at a Del Taco in South County, the spokeswoman asked Ziebarth: "If there’s anything you could change to our menu, what would you do?" His answer came swiftly. "Bring back Naugles items. People have not forgotten about them."}}</ref> In a short time, he received comments from hundreds of others who felt the same. So much interest was generated by his webpage that a Del Taco public relations staffer contacted Ziebarth to see how Del Taco could take advantage of this renewed interest.
On May 31, 2012, the ''[[Orange County Register]]'' reported that a group was attempting to revive the Naugles brand.<ref name=ocr-2012may31>{{cite news |url=http://fastfood.ocregister.com/2012/05/31/is-naugles-making-a-comeback/156126/ |title=Is Naugles making a comeback? |newspaper=[[Orange County Register]] |date=2012-05-31 |first=Nancy |last=Luna |access-date=2012-06-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120531145220/http://fastfood.ocregister.com/2012/05/31/is-naugles-making-a-comeback/156126/ |archive-date=2012-05-31 |url-status=dead }}</ref> On July 9, 2013, the ''[[OC Weekly]]'' ran a similar story, with the author of the piece mentioning he had tried some Naugles taco sauce.<ref name=ow-2013jul09>{{cite news |url=http://blogs.ocweekly.com/stickaforkinit/2013/07/naugles_comeback_taco_sauce.php |title=Naugles, Legendary SoCal Mexican Fast-Food Chain, is Trying to Make a Comeback, and We Have the Proof |newspaper=[[OC Weekly]] |date=2013-08-09 |first=Gustavo |last=Arellano}}</ref>
On March 31, 2015, Christian Ziebarth (President), Josh Maxwell (CEO) and Dan Dvorak (CMO) won the judgment from the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board,<ref name=ocr-2015apr01>{{cite news |url=http://www.ocregister.com/articles/naugles-656400-taco-ziebarth.html |title=Naugles comeback: Local food blogger wins trademark case against Del Taco |newspaper=[[Orange County Register]] |date=April 1, 2015 |first=Nancy |last=Luna |quote=The record unequivocally shows that respondent (Del Taco) ceased operating the last restaurant bearing the Naugles name on October 25, 1995.}}</ref><ref name=insidecounsel-2015jun01>{{cite news |url=http://www.insidecounsel.com/2015/06/01/new-life-for-naugles-del-taco-dinged-at-ttab |title=New life for Naugles? Del Taco dinged at TTAB: Mexican-themed restaurant chain loses mark to abandonment |magazine=[[InsideCounsel]] |date=June 1, 2015 |first=Scott |last=Slavick |quote=Del Taco’s own witness testified that the company had stopped using the Naugles mark as the actual name of a restaurant on October 25, 1995.}}</ref><ref name=uspto>{{cite web |url=http://ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/ttabvue-92053501-CAN-98.pdf |title=Christian M. Ziebarth v. Del Taco, LLC |date=March 31, 2015 |work=Trademark Trial and Appeal Board |publisher=[[United States Patent and Trademark Office]] |quote=Cancellation No. 92053501}}</ref> allowing the group to use the name to start a new restaurant in [[Fountain Valley, California]]. In the years since first applying to take up the Naugles trademark and menu (back in 2010), Ziebarth and chef John Smittle went on to re-create the original menu and its flavors from scratch, and Ziebarth, Maxwell and Dvorak began hosting pop-ups at various locations to further gather ground support.<ref name=ow-2013jul09 />
Ziebarth, Maxwell and Dvorak decided to open a "test" kitchen to help shape the brand and on July 25, 2015, the Fountain Valley ___location had a "soft opening" primarily for fans from an unofficial Facebook fan page.<ref name=rpe-2015jul31>{{cite news |url=http://www.pe.com/articles/naugles-775636-taco-line.html |title=Fast Food: Naugles' return brings on waves of nostalgic eaters: Naugles -- which was born in Riverside -- has reopened in Orange County, much to the delight of patrons who remember it as the hang-out spot in the '70s and '80s. |newspaper=[[Riverside Press-Enterprise]] |date=July 31, 2015 |first=Keith |last=Sharon}}</ref> The current menu includes bean and cheese burritos, hard and soft-shelled tacos, cups of beans, drinks, and more. The Naugles ___location is at 18471 Mt. Langley Street in Fountain Valley.
The Fountain Valley ___location did a soft opening on July 25, 2015 and was overwhelmed by the fans response resulting in running out of food a few times during the day and decided to close the next day (Sunday). They re-opened it again on July 27, 2015, then it ran out of food and closed early to prepare enough food for the apparent demand and re-opened on July 28, 2015. The Fountain Valley ___location went seven days a week for the following two weeks and decided to only be open on the weekends due to the neighbors being a bit concerned with the high traffic and limited parking. The Test Kitchen held these hours until May 28, 2016.{{citation needed|date=November 2020}} It then closed for revamping until it re-opened in October 2016 and has been open seven days a week from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. since.
The revived Naugles opened its first daily operating ___location at 21351 [[California State Route 1|Pacific Coast Highway]] in [[Huntington Beach, California|Huntington Beach]] on May 28, 2016, taking over a former [[Wahoo's Fish Taco]] across from the [[Hilton Hotels & Resorts|Waterfront Hilton]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Elliott |first1=Farley |title=Fast Food Legend Naugles Reborn at Surprise Location in Huntington Beach |url=http://la.eater.com/2016/5/27/11798886/naugles-mexican-fast-food-huntington-beach-newn|website=Eater |access-date=27 May 2016 |date=May 27, 2016}}</ref> The initial lease was for the summer of 2016. The lease was renewed and has served as a great beach front seasonal ___location to date. Closed in 2021.
On January 25, 2020, a third ___location was opened at 12120 [[California State Route 39|Beach Boulevard]], in [[Stanton, California|Stanton]].{{citation needed|date=November 2020}} The third opening came after months of preparation and conversion from the old restaurant that was on that site, The Mad Greek. It is the first of the revived chains to have a Drive Thru and the first drive-thru in Orange County since the last Naugles was converted to Del Taco in {{circa|1995}}.
==In popular culture==
In the original Naugles [[TV commercials]], the character of Señor Naugles was played by two successive [[character actor]]s, [[Roger C. Carmel]] and comedian [[Avery Schreiber]]. <ref>{{cite book |title=The sponsored life: ads, TV, and American culture |last=Savan |first=Leslie |year=1994 |publisher=Temple University Press |isbn=1-56639-245-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FP-Uz2vwRNcC&q=Naugles&pg=PA241 |access-date=2008-05-10 |page=241 |oclc=30517503}}</ref>
==References==
{{reflist|30em}}
{{Fast-food chains of the United States}}
[[Category:Fast-food Mexican restaurants]]
[[Category:Defunct fast-food chains in the United States]]
[[Category:Defunct restaurants in California]]
[[Category:Defunct restaurant chains in the United States]]
[[Category:Companies based in Riverside, California]]
[[Category:Restaurants established in 1970]]
[[Category:Restaurants disestablished in 1993]]
[[Category:1970 establishments in California]]
[[Category:1993 disestablishments in California]]
[[Category:Re-established companies]]
[[Category:Restaurants established in 2015]]
[[Category:2015 establishments in California]]
[[Category:Restaurants in Orange County, California]]
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