MEXICO CITY, MEXICO – Sanborns, a well-known restaurant chain in Mexico with 168 locations and 36 cafés around the country, is featured in guidebooks, the Atlas Obscura, and is popular with locals as well. Their menu features traditional Mexican dishes with new menu offerings added monthly. USA Rice has partnered with the foodservice giant in the past, (“Mexico Heralds Return of USA Rice’s ‘Paella Wednesday’ Promo,” USA Rice Daily, May 15, 2015), and during November and December of 2021 rolled out a new special campaign, “Las Delicias del Arroz” (Rice Delicacies).
The Rice Delicacies promotion was launched nationwide and was available through delivery service apps, such as Uber Eats, Rappi, Didi, and Sanborns own delivery service. Six innovative rice recipes were included on the menu and were promoted via a QR code. The dishes were: Mexican Rice with Poblano Mole, Mexican Rice with Two Fried Eggs, Mexican Rice with Plantain, Yellow Rice with Fish, Rice Pudding, and Valencian Paella.
“We saw an excellent return on our investment here,” said Asiha Grigsby, USA Rice director of international promotion for the western hemisphere. “Sanborns typically goes through 15 metric tons of U.S.-grown rice at this time of year, but they purchased an additional three metric tons to keep up with demand thanks to the popularity of the program. This promotion definitely helped move the needle for U.S. origin rice consumption in our largest export market and helped further solidify our great relationship with the chain.”
Inspired by excitement around the Rice Delicacies campaign, Sanborns chefs added two additional recipes: Creamy Rice and Rice with Dry Fruits, to their ready-to-eat meals sold in packages of 1kg or more on their 2022 menus.
Sanborns also made use of the Arroz Americano Auténtico logo on promotional materials.
In 2021 the U.S. exported 765,000 MT of all rice types to Mexico, valued at $306 million.