Margarita Showdown

The lovely women behind the popular LA breakfast spot HomeState, Briana and Andy Valdez, are the brainchild of this increasingly popular summertime event. Their goal during the 2020 Covid-19 shutdown was to reconnect the community in the best place: the belly and the soul. A combination of participating restaurants across the Greater Los Angeles area and popular bands that offered their entertainment free of charge would make this event possible. It all started with a HomeState staple called "The Band Taco".

The Band Taco was created in 2015 as a way for Briana and her team at HomeState to raise funds for initiatives they found compelling. Essentially, an artist would create a taco themed after them, and the proceeds would go to a charity or organization in need. A few great examples are The Chicano Batman by Chicano Batman, The Ranchero by Spoon, and The Paesano by Questlove.  

When HomeState launched a new menu item, the Margarita, they figured it was a great opportunity to not only launch a new product but bridge two very exciting parts of the business and involve the community in a massive way. Margarita Showdown is a summertime festival that invites the community to drink Margaritas and listen to music while raising money for two fantastic local organizations. 

However, due to the Covid Pandemic, a large in-person festival was out of the question. Which is precisely where we came in. ChowNow offered the unique ability to deliver a curated margarita package from participating restaurants, unique branded glassware and a link to the live online event. All tickets were sold through the ChowNow platform, and our media team also provided a boost in marketing to get the event in front of as many Angelenos as we could. In 2020, the charities represented were The Watts Empowerment Center and No Us Without You. 

If you'd like to read the interview with Briana Valdez, check out my article on ChowNow's Tableside Magazine.