Margarita News
Taco Cabana expands its margarita selection to 12 flavors year-round
San Antonio Tex-Mex chain Taco Cabana is giving the people what they want: all the margarita flavors, served year-round.
According to a release, the company is calling dibs on the title of Margarita Headquarters by featuring 12 permanent margarita flavors on the menu, each available for $3, all day.
Available flavors will include their classic flavors of Lime, Strawberry, Mango, Strawberry Mango, and Mangonada, plus five flavors featured as previous limited-edition offerings and two brand new flavors:
- Blue Curacao *returning
- Watermelon *returning
- Dragonfruit *returning
- Blood Orange *returning
- Green Apple *returning
- Coconut *NEW
- Pineapple *NEW
The decision comes after three launches of the company's popular, limited-edition "MargaritaPalooza," in the past two years, which CultureMap has studiously documented, with the kind of diligence that news about margaritas deserves.
Taco Cabana first debuted the limited-time promotion in July 2020. The "talker" back then was the quirky Dr Pepper flavor. According to Restaurant Business, the promotion brought in "record sales of margaritas," making it a positive story during the darkest days of the pandemic when positive stories were few and far between.
Not content to let well enough alone, they retired six of the original dozen flavors in August 2020, to make room for the six new flavors coming in. That was ultimately a good thing since three of the new flavors were deliciously authentic: pineapple chamoy, spicy guava, and the best one, tamarind.
They returned in April 2021 with a third round, this time featuring ultra-creative flavors such as Pickle, Violet, and Pistachio.
Taco Cabana Chief Operating Officer Ulyses Camacho says in a statement that Margaritapalooza was a "game changer" for the company.
"There was so much fun and excitement for both guests and team members when we previously executed it across the TC system," Camacho says. "We pride ourselves on listening to what our guests want, and they have consistently asked us for on-going, everyday margarita innovation and variety, not just during certain times of the year. We are now thrilled to establish ourselves as the ‘Margarita Headquarters’ with so many margarita flavors for our guests to choose from each and every day."
Flavor No. 13
In addition to the 12 margarita flavors, a rotating 13th flavor will also be seasonally available for $4. Previous seasonal margarita offerings have included flavors like Pickle, Pumpkin Spice, and Cherry.
New or returning seasonal margaritas will be announced on an ongoing basis. Maybe tamarind, Taco Cabana? How about tamarind?
Margarita Headquarters launches first in San Antonio on Wednesday, July 20, and then at locations across Texas on Wednesday, August 3.
Also, discounts
They'll also be offering a summertime happy hour, Sunday-Thursday 4-7 pm, with $2 Lime or Strawberry Margaritas, $2 domestic beer, half-price bean & cheese nachos, $1.50 bean & cheese chalupa, and $1 bean & cheese taco. That'll start in San Antonio, and eventually make its way across Texas, as well.
And they're bringing back their beloved salsa bar, with Roja, Fuego, Salsa Ranch, Taco Cabana’s new salsa Verde, Pico de Gallo, and pickled jalapeños, which were shut down during the pandemic.
Later hours for drive-thru
Taco Cabana is also extending its drive-thru hours of operation at all restaurants across San Antonio, as follows:
- Sunday-Thursday, 6 am-12 am
- Friday-Saturday, 6 am-2 am
Dining rooms will continue to close at 10 pm.
Taco Cabana was founded in 1978. The brand specializes in Tex-Mex-inspired food including enchiladas, fajitas, quesadillas, flautas, burritos, tacos, freshly-made flour tortillas and a selection of made-from-scratch salsas and sauces. Taco Cabana operates 142 company-owned restaurants in Texas.