Just like the rise of bubble tea and boba in the 2010’s this breakout dish took off at the start of this decade. We dive deeper into how this GOAT rose to the top of foodies must try. No pun intended, but if you know what we are referring to then you already have an idea that the breakout star of 2020 was none other than the famous goat-inspired birria.
Hailing its culinary origins from Jalisco, birria is a dish filled with traditional recipes passed down from multiple generations. If you've ever been to Mexico before 2019 then it’s not new to you, but what made this dish top the charts of foodies was its unique take by taco stands up north in Tijuana.
The Leap from Baja California to the US
Before the dish made its way to the US it evolved locally a bit more in Baja California where taco stands used beef instead of goat meat for the taco. Adapting the taco to local taste buds made it an instant hit as each stand tried different variations. Soon it was all over YouTube and Instagram as foodies started to share their new favorite taco out of Baja California.
This tasty taco marinated in birria broth wasn’t easy to eat and it wasn’t until someone added cheese to it that it transformed once more. It kept being developed by local culinary taco chefs until it finally reached its final form in the US. On top of adding cheese taco stands were using the birria broth to season and make the tortillas into a crispy cheesy taco filled with delicious beef birria. This was the final product that would spread throughout the US, from coast to coast.
Birria Tacos Take Over The US
It may have seemed that it was adopted into menus fairly quickly from how prevalent it is now in Mexican restaurants, and you're not too far off if you're only relying on the search volume from Google to get an idea. If you are anything like us, big foodies, you might have found yourself in similar situations. Asking restaurant staff when it would be on menus.
As a restaurant marketing agency in Southern California, we saw our clients cautiously crafting their menus and recipes. Developing new menu items from one new key component, beef birria. Ensuring it represented their restaurant and heritage, but also met the hype of the birria tacos taking over social media.
The menu engineering was by far one of our favorite experiences in helping our clients get birria tacos to their local markets, and taste testing after photo sessions was a reward in itself. Yet that wasn’t the first part of our kick-off strategy with clients, like many restaurant owners they were still perfecting the recipe and training staff on new menu items.
Launching new menu items in 2020 took a lot longer than it would have in prior years, but restaurant owners found ways to work with the resources they had. Looking at the search volume for birria tacos below gives you an idea of how fast word spread, at a time when everyone was on their phones. April 2020 was the month it started to gain traction before it took off like a rocket in June, just as summer started.
The Quessabirria Trend & Love For Cheesy Goodness
The birria trend is just one example of how fast things are going viral, and adding cheese to that mix brought back life to the breakout star of 2020. The love for cheesy goodness is prominent in American cuisine. Just look at how fast Quessabirria searches grew in 2021, it was instantaneous compared to birria.
From mac and cheese to pizza, cheese seems to be a universally loved ingredient. And when you combine it with the flavorful and tender meat of birria, you get a truly irresistible crispy dish. Even if trends amongst foodies on social media dies down, customers store dishes they want to try in their long-term memory. Just look at the search volume, it is pretty consistent, from a dish that was popularized by social media where our attention spans are very short.
Just as Birria was taking off we helped our clients stay ahead by monitoring breakout terms like Quessabirria that followed soon after. If you’re struggling with digital marketing we can help you stay ahead. Developing new digital menus, launching marketing campaigns, and getting your food in front of the right local customers. As we look at the data for birria and quessabirria in general, we see it’s going to be another great year with search volume increasing.
Here are some additional tips for helping restaurant owners with their local restaurant marketing:
- Create keyword alerts for your restaurant's menu specialty
- Offer discounts or promotions to encourage people to try new menu items
- Host events to kick off any new items added to your restaurant’s menu
- Make sure your restaurant has updated all the menus across the different distribution channels
With a little creativity and effort, you can help your restaurant capitalize on trends and attract new customers. As a restaurant marketing agency, we help restaurant owners capitalize on food trends like quessabirria. Connect with us today to learn how catering birria is the next big breakout star.
