She opened the chain’s first restaurant with her late husband, Mike Vasquez, at 1039 W. Sixth St. in Corona in 1975. Business from nearby Corona High School and Mike and Mary’s food, including house-made hot sauce, made the place a success.

Mary Vasquez visited the drive-thru, now called “the original,” at 2 p.m. Friday afternoon to hand out birthday cake. The first 50 customers also got cards for free tacos.

The dining room was full by the time she cut the cake, which was chocolate with cream frosting. State Senator Sabrina Cervantes dropped by to give Mary a framed resolution and compliment her “masterfully crafted burritos.”

She chatted with longtime customers and caught up with them on their children and grandchildren, or parents and grandparents.

Among them was Shelly Jensen, who said she used to go through the drive-thru in the late ’70s in her ’67 Buick when she was a Corona High School student.

“It hasn’t changed a bit,” she said.

She ordered her favorite, a bean and cheese burrito with several cups of hot sauce.

Jensen’s uncle Tom Gunderson was mayor of Corona, and her father, Phillip Gunderson, were friends with Mike and Mary Vasquez at their first, full-service restaurant that opened nearby in 1973.

But there’s a new addiition, a piece of artwork that reads, “A 50 year tradition and counting.”

“it’s pretty, isn’t it?” Mary Vasquez said.

Javier Vasquez, the chain’s chief executive officer and Mary’s son, arrived at the party a little later.

All 23 restaurants in the chain gave out cake and taco cards from 2 to 4 p.m. Miguel’s Jr. has locations in Riverside, Orange and San Bernardino counties.

At 82, Mary Vasquez is still the face of Miguel’s Jr. in Facebook reels and TikTok videos. In May, she completed her education and picked up a high school equivalency diploma from Corona-Norco Adult School, near the original restaurant.

Information: miguelsjr.com

On Thursday, July 17, the Irvine-based chain introduced Sweet Chipotle BBQ sauce. It’s made with peppers, molasses and spices, according to a news release.

It can be ordered in a Sweet Chipotle BBQ Crispy Chicken Burrito for about $5.79, a Sweet Chipotle BBQ Crispy Chicken Taco for about $3.19, or as an add-on in a cup for 30 cents.

For now it’s available for a limited time, but Taco Bell has announced its intention to make crispy chicken a permanent part of its menu in 2026.

ALSO SEE: Taco Bell is bringing Live Más Café to Orange and Irvine

There’s always more on the way with Taco Bell. Beginning July 31, Taco Bell will be selling Dulce de Leche Cinnabon Delights for a limited time.

And the chain is testing a Tajín Taco with seasoned beef in Columbus, Ohio, and a new value menu in Indianapolis. It has five items, including a Mini Taco Salad.

Information: tacobell.com

The worldwide listening party will take place 5-8 p.m. on Thursday July 17. Chipotle calls it the first of its kind.

Warren’s single “Ordinary” topped the Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks earlier this year.

His new album is called “You’ll Be Alright, Kid,” and will be released Friday, July 18. Chipotle will play it for three hours straight on loop, Warren said in an Instagram video that includes a snatch of the music.

Warren is a San Diego County native. He’s also a Chipotle fan, the news release said, and has a bowl named after him featuring Chipotle Honey Chicken.

Fans who order it on Chipotle’s app or online during the listening party will be entered to win an autographed copy of the album. Use the promo code “ALEX.”

Warren is touring in Europe, according to his website, but will perform in San Diego on Aug. 9.

Information: chipotle.com

There will be a limit of two dozen when purchased in-shop or in a drive-thru and one dozen when purchased online, according to a news release. Use the code BDAY for online purchases.

Krispy Kreme was founded on July 13, 1937 Winston-Salem, N.C., according to its website. Its headquarters are now in Charlotte.

The chain has frequent deals and limited-time offers. It is currently selling a “DC Super Heroes Collection” as the movie “Superman” tops the box office. It includes a cream-filled Superman doughnut featuring a candy Superman flying through a sky of light blue frosting. A Batman doughnut has cookies-and-cream filling and features the bat signal against a background of black icing. A Wonder Woman doughnut is an Original Glazed with red raspberry-flavored icing, blue sprinkles and white stars.

Krispy Kreme also has summer beverages, including Lemonade Chillers and S’mores Lattes.

Information: krispykreme.com

The celebration will take place 2-4 p.m. at all of the chain’s 23 locations, according to representatives. The first 50 customers will also get cards good for one free shredded chicken or shredded beef taco with any purchase.

Founder Mary Vasquez will visit the original restaurant at 1039 W. Sixth St., Corona, for the celebration. Her son Javier Vasquez, who is chief executive officer, will join her.

The first Miguel’s Jr. was opened by Mary and her husband Mike Vasquez in 1975. Javier Vasquez said the exact date has been lost to time in a recent interview.

Mike Vasquez died in 2020, but at 82 Mary is still active in the company and appears in TikTok videos. She talks about the menu she created with her husband in a Facebook reel uploaded on July 12.

Recently, the chain began serving french fries and chicken bites in addition to its traditional menu of burritos and tacos. It also launched a line of merchandise.

Information: miguelsjr.com

Del Taco is offering a Fried Pickle Taco. It’s a breaded dill pickle spear served with cheese, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes and ranch sauce in a flour tortilla.

The Lake Forest-based chain launched it Tuesday, July 15 in observance of National Pickle Month, according to a news release.

It’s available for about $1.99 while supplies last at select locations in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties, the news release said.

The Fried Pickle Taco was somewhat under the radar when we went in search of it on Tuesday morning. It wasn’t prominently displayed on the Del Taco website, and signage wasn’t up yet when we arrived at our local drive-thru in Redlands. But we found it at the kiosk inside under tacos.

There were several upsell options available for 50 cents or a dollar more, including guac and jalapeños. We ordered one $1.99 version but decided to live large. We ordered a second with the “Go Bold” option, fries and a secret sauce for $1, as well as the “Go Cool” option, sour cream for 50 cents.

The warm pickle was almost buried with shredded cheese but we could still taste the dill.

Adding crinkle-cut fries and sour cream was almost too much for one tortilla on the second taco, and the pickle on the bottom wasn’t even visible.

With a $2.29 iced coffee, the order came to $8.45, including tax.

Del Taco has several other limited-time offers going on, including carnitas in tacos, burritos, street tacos and quesadillas. You can get Funnel Cake Fries for dessert, and red-white-and-blue Independence Poppers are still available.

Information: deltaco.com

Wednesday, July 16 is National Hot Dog Day, meaning Wienerschnitzel will be discounting its beloved chili dogs, as you’d expect. But several other chains and convenience stores will be giving it a run for its money.

They include Shake Shack, which came out with its own chili dog and four other limited-time dogs on Tuesday, July 15.

Here are some deals that were announced in news releases or on websites. Most of them are good on Wednesday, July 16 only.

7-Eleven: 7Rewards program members can get Big Bite hot dogs for $2 and a $5 Meal Deal with one Big Bite, a bag of 7-Select Chips and a large Big Gulp. 7-eleven.com

Circle K: App users can get two roller grill hot dogs for $1 at participating stores. circlek.com

Dog Haus: Rewards program members can get one free Haus Dog with no purchase necessary at participating locations. Haus Dogs are what the Pasadena-based chain calls hot dogs on its menu. doghaus.com

Shake Shack: The New York-based chain’s new “Dog Days” lineup features five new dogs, including an Angus Beef Chili Dog; an Angus Beef Chili Cheese Dog; a High Heat Dog with a special pepper blend; a Fried Pickle Dog; and a Crispy Onion Cheese Dog. Prices range from $3.99 to $6.99 individually, but customers can get two dogs for $8 through Aug. 11. Use the code DOGDAYS. See the chain’s website for full details. shakeshack.com

Wienerschnitzel: Customers can get four original Chili Dogs for $4. They must buy multiples of four to get the discount. Cheese costs extra. But the chain has another deal going on, two Chili Cheese Dogs and Chili Cheese Fries for $6. wienerschnitzel.com

Hot Orange Chicken was briefly available last summer and sold out quickly, according to a news release. It is made with six times more crushed chillies than the original. It costs about $5.40-$11.40 a la carte or $9.10-$12.10 in bowls or plates.

We tried it and found the heat was subtle but built up over the course of a meal.

Original Orange Chicken has been a signature dish at Panda Express since the Rosemead-based chain introduced it in 1987.

Tuesday, July 15 is National Orange Chicken Day, and Panda Express will be marking it. But the celebration will be in New York City, where an “Orange Chicken Kitchen” will be open through July 20. The pop-up will be on Third Avenue, about a mile from Times Square.

The pop-up will serve an exclusive menu, including a new wing recipe, the news release said.

Information: pandaexpress.com

The Southern California fast food chain is advertising a short-lived offer on its merchandise.

Customers who spend more than $100 on merch before 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, July 13 can get a free French Fry Beach Towel thrown in, according to the In-N-Out website.

In-N-Out is promoting its “summer fun essentials,” which include a $90 longboard deck, a $39.95 pool raft shaped like french fries, a $59.95 pool float shaped like a french fry boat and a 1992 “At The Beach” T-shirt.

Other new products that could boost you over the limit include a $14.95 pet bandana and $29.95 Bathroom set with a toothbrush cup shaped like a red-and-white soft drink cup and soap dish shaped like a fry boat.

Incidentally In-N-Out, currently based in Irvine, expanded to 423 locations on Wednesday, July 9, when it opened a drive-thru in Modesto. Its website lists four more restaurants in the works, including two in Southern California. They are in Monrovia and Sylmar.

Information: shop.in-n-out.com

Fry Day always falls on on a Friday. This year, it’s July 11.

Several chains have announced deals to mark the occasion on their websites, in social media or in news releases. Most of the deals are for basic, unloaded side items, but some are going a little bigger than that.

Some offers are available on July 11 only, but some run through the weekend. Check their websites for details and restrictions.

Here are some of the promotions we heard about. These offers are in addition to chains like McDonald’s and Wendy’s, which have ongoing fry deals for their rewards members.

Baker’s Drive-Thru: Rewards members can get a coupon on the chain’s app for free medium fries with a purchase of $5 or more. bakersdrivethru.com

Charleys Cheesesteaks: Customers can get one regular order of Original Fries for $1. The offer is in-store only. charleys.com

Checkers & Rally’s: Customers can bring in a receipt for a fry purchase at a competitor and get a free large order of Famous Seasoned Fries. No purchase is required. The chain explains it in a Facebook reel.  checkersandrallys.com

Del Taco: Del Yeah! Rewards members can get a free regular order of fries with any purchase. deltaco.com

Dog Haus: Rewards members can get a free side of fries with a minimum $10 purchase. doghaus.com

Fatburger: Fans can get a free order of Fat or Skinny Fries with an online burger or sandwich purchase through Sunday, July 13. Use the code FryDay25. fatburger.com

Farmer Boys: App users can get an order of fries for $1 with a $5 purchase. farmerboys.com

Miguel’s Jr.: Customers can order a Cali Burrito for $10. It’s made with fries, carne asada, jack cheese guacamole and salsa. miguelsjr.com

Shake Shack: The New York-based chain is offering free classic or limited-time fries with any purchase on its app, online or in-store. Use the code FREEFRY. Shake Shack also has a set of four crinkle cut-shaped candles on sale for $39 in its online store. shakeshack.com

Smashburger: Customers can get a free regular order of French Fries, Smashfries, Sweet Potato Waffle Fries or Scorchin’ Hot Fries with a minimum purchase of $1. The offer is good in-store, online or through the chain’s app. Use the code FRYDAY25. smashburger.com