Everyone in Austin knows that breakfast tacos are amazing. Everyone also thinks they know where to get the best ones (surprise, everyone has different answers). One that’s been on local’s lists for years is Maria’s Taco Xpress. “Old Austin” meets tasty breakfast tacos and Hippie Church. Keeping Austin Weird is in their roots. A loyal audience kept them going for years, but they wanted to branch out and appeal to “New Austin” too. The rapid growth of the city alongside new restaurants popping up every day meant Maria’s Taco Xpress needed to keep up with this new wave of people. One of the many things they could do to achieve this was to increase their brand awareness, especially online, and build a stronger connection with their community and city.
Keep Austin Weird.
An iconic view for south Austin is Maria’s statue on top of her restaurant—with arms wide open, she’s a warm reminder that, yes, you really do want that taco right now. We needed to stay top of mind without having to drive by Maria’s—so we stepped up her online presence by posting consistently, establishing her brand identity, and encouraging engagement with her audience. While Maria’s ambiance and vibe was obvious in person, their online presence didn’t fully convey their quirk. We wanted to stay true to the Old Austin weirdness and bold voice while staying relatable and reminding people about their offerings. We created campaigns to engage the audience more directly by asking questions, hosting contests, and encouraging user-generated content. Just a few examples; we held taco-building contests, created Maria cut-out postcards, took photos of her branded chimichurri around town, asked about queso etiquette, and made horoscopes based on favorite tacos.
In tacos we trust.
Building credibility and trust with the community was a part of what we needed to accomplish to get more foot traffic in the restaurant. We focused on campaigns to encourage user-generated content, partnerships with Austin-based foodie influencers, event promotion, and highlighting positive reviews we’d received. Offline, holding events was a major way we got new life into the space. They hosted Hippie Church, drag queen bingo, and local musicians alongside in-store offers such as a free taco when customers allowed them to cut off their South by Southwest wristbands. Fun and unique events drew crowds of people that eventually became regulars.