Pass the Hot Sauce

Half of all states were most concerned about the food they’d dig in to on Cinco de Mayo. Wyoming, Alaska, and Utah ambitiously prepared their own takes on street fare classics, searching for burrito, enchilada, and fish taco recipes respectively.

Six other states weren’t as sure what they wanted, with broad searches for “Mexican cuisine” and “Mexican restaurants near me.” And Maine wanted to figure out . . . something . . . about “limes”? Huh.

But the last fourteen states knew exactly where they were dining on Cinco de Mayo. Take Missouri, South Dakota, Mississippi, and South Carolina, for example—all four were ready to go straight to Taco Bell for the really authentic stuff.

Ahem.

Comparing these results to last year’s article, we’ve seen a boost of interest in smaller chains like Moe’s Southwest Grill and Plaza Azteca. But a few states remain loyal to proven Cinco de Mayo party spots, specifically Florida with Tijuana Flats and Arkansas with Cantina Laredo.

The greatest Cinco de Mayo miracle of all is Qdoba winning Delaware over from Primo Hoagies—an Italian-style sandwich shop. “Primo” means “best” in Italian, but it’s also a Spanish word with a different meaning. I learned this the hard way. When I used it to tell my boss how great this article was going to be, he informed me it means “cousin” in Spanish, not “the best.” Oops.