Santa Maria launches Mexi-Go: A collection of trending food-to-go recipes for operators
Food-to-go continues to grow, despite the cost-of-living crisis, and personalised dishes are becoming popular with operators trying to keep menus streamlined while maintaining choice
Santa Maria, the nation’s leading Mexican out-of-home food provider, today launched Mexi-Go, a contemporary ready-to-go solution for food operators looking to retain simple, streamlined menus that give consumers the choice they desire.
Customisation on menus has increased by more than 38% year-on-year, and 28% of menus are now customisable[1]. Mexican food is a leading emerging food trend, with 80% of people saying they would choose a Mexican dish when eating out[2]. With tacos and burritos offering a wide range of flavour possibilities, the cuisine perfectly meets the need for greater customisation.
Providing finger-licking recipes, based around classic Mexican hand-held dishes such as taquitos, tacos and burritos, Mexi-Go makes it easy for operators to create customisable, exciting dishes. The recipes cater for different dietary requirements and palates, swapping meat for plant-based options, and taking inspiration from a range of global cuisines.
Suiting eat-in or takeaway providers, Mexi-Go’s customisable menus make it easy for operators to sell extras like toppings or side dishes. And to save time, they can choose from Santa Maria’s delicious, pre-made Spice Blends.
Santa Maria’s Taste Creator, Barney MacAdam, says: “One of the most popular street food dishes is the taco. Hard or soft, tacos are incredibly versatile. Load them up with toppings without the need to go traditional. And while slow-cooked birria beef is a classic, Mexi-Go’s cheeseburger taco brings a twist to an old favourite.
“Eminently scalable, we suggest three tacos per main meal serving – two for a starter and one for a side. They can also be scaled up for a sharing platter, so food operators can cater for different budgets, dining experiences and diets all in one.
“Burritos are another of the most popular dishes on the menu, coming second only to the well-loved burger. Perfect for customisation, they can be eaten in or on-the-go, and are suitable for breakfast, lunch or dinner. While traditionally they were stuffed with beans, rice and beef, nowadays there are no rules. Our recipes allow operators to tantalise taste buds with burritos stuffed with on-trend world flavours, from fish and chips to Korean BBQ chicken, tacos filled with ancho mushrooms to pork pibil, and our Plant Power Burrito is a real hit with vegans and vegetarians.”
Nick Minchin, Marketing Manager for UK & IRE, Santa Maria, says: “Santa Maria’s development chefs are experienced at concepting hand-held, food-to-go dishes, making them well-placed to design recipes that excite existing customers and attract new ones.
“The new Mexi-Go concept provides solutions for all operators from specialist Mexican outlets and quick serve eateries to general pubs and restaurants. Alongside the recipes, operators also have access to insights, tips on how to drive revenue, culinary hacks, digital assets and imagery, which is all free to download and use.
“Food operators will love the mix-and-match style of Mexi-Go’s recipes, and we’ve made sure there’s something that caters for most tastes on the menu.”
To download Mexi-Go, food operators can visit: https://www.santamariaworld.com/uk/foodservice/concepts/mexi-go/
[1] Lumina Intelligence, Menu Tracker Tool, Spring Summer 2021
[2] Vypr, Santa Maria Mexican, Nov 2022, Sample Size 502