Summer is officially here and Tocaya is celebrating with two new entrees – Chicken Flaquitos and Summer Shrimp Ceviche – and a new happy hour drink lineup.
Available at all eight locations, Tocaya's newest dishes are bursting with fresh summer flavors. The new Chicken Flaquitos consist of crispy flour tortillas filled with tender, house-made chicken tinga, smashed pinto beans, Oaxaca cheese, and creamy salsa verde. On the other hand, the new Summer Shrimp Ceviche pairs poached shrimp with a Tapatio and lime marinade, a heirloom tomato and jalapeño sauce, and crispy tortilla chips for scooping. As Oliver Plust, Executive Corporate Chef for One Table, explains, "Summer is about slowing down and gathering over great food and good company. These dishes were created with sharing in mind and are best enjoyed around the table with friends.”
Image Credit: Tocaya
Why This Trend Is Growing
- Seasonal Mexican Menus
- Fresh, limited-time Mexican-inspired dishes create room for restaurants to test regional flavors, premium ingredients, and summer-focused dining occasions with lower long-term menu risk.
- Shareable Casual Dining
- Communal formats like flautas, ceviche, and chips reflect a growing opportunity for brands to position casual meals around social connection and group-based ordering.
- Elevated Happy Hours
- Expanded drink lineups paired with new small plates signal potential for restaurants to turn off-peak traffic into experiential, flavor-driven social occasions.
Industries Being Reshaped
- Fast-casual Restaurants
- Fast-casual operators are well positioned to blend chef-led recipes, seasonal launches, and accessible pricing into differentiated dining experiences.
- Mexican Foodservice
- Modern Mexican concepts can use familiar formats like tortillas, salsa verde, and ceviche as platforms for premiumization, freshness cues, and cross-cultural flavor innovation.
- Hospitality Beverage
- Happy hour beverage programs offer hospitality brands a flexible channel for testing cocktails, low-ABV drinks, and food-pairing bundles tied to seasonal demand.
