Quesadilla’s Time to Shine

It’s been nearly two decades since the taco began its journey across menus, categories and cuisines. No longer restricted to Mexican and Tex-Mex-leaning concepts, the now ubiquitous carrier is as seamlessly filled with bulgogi or tikka masala as it is with carnitas or al pastor. Meanwhile, the taco-adjacent quesadilla has remained on the fringe in terms of innovation, beloved and craveable as it may be.

But now, quesadillas are finding themselves in the spotlight, with operators welcoming a host of flavors, ingredients and presentations between the literal fold. Even brands within the Mexican category that have long served quesadillas are catching the current wave of enthusiasm. “Quesadillas are having a moment, and it’s easy to see why. They’re versatile, handheld and familiar—yet there’s still plenty of room to surprise and delight,” says Brad Bergaus, corporate chef and director of menu innovation at Taco John’s. The menu had previously included a quesadilla taco, DESCRIBE IT. After it was retired, “the requests to bring it back never stopped,” he explains.

When the time came to reimagine the legacy offering as an LTO, Bergaus had a specific goal, plus a restriction. He wanted to approach the carrier through a modern lens, ratcheting up the boldness and cheesiness. The catch? The build had to use existing SKUs, meaning the innovation would come not through new ingredients but rather carefully calibrated prep and fresh flavor combinations. The resulting OMCheese Quesadilla Taco, which ran earlier this year, featured a crispy, golden grilled quesadilla shell, grilled chicken, Fiesta Sauce, shredded lettuce and housemade pico de gallo. But the pièce de résistance lay in between the two stacked quesadilla shells, where a melty four-cheese blend tapped into the current cheese-pull craze.

“One of the biggest R&D wins was perfecting the cheese ratio: enough for that dramatic pull without overwhelming the dish. We knew the cheese pull would be a showstopper, and it absolutely delivered. It’s stretchy, dramatic and made for sharing—perfect for social media,” he says. “But beyond that, the OMCheese Quesadilla hits several trend sweet spots: It’s a mash-up, it’s indulgent, it’s portable and it taps into that nostalgic comfort food vibe with a fresh twist. It’s the kind of item that practically markets itself.”

The LTO’s success has led to another quesadilla special for summer. While not a taco hybrid, the Fiesta Cheese Quesadilla differentiates itself from traditional builds by incorporating pico de gallo, Fiesta Sauce and guacamole. “It’s a natural evolution of the trend,” Bergaus says.

Like Taco John’s, PINCHO wasn’t starting from scratch when creating its latest quesadilla LTO. Every May from 2013 to 2024, the Miami-based brand offered a Quesadilla Burger as its Chalkboard Special, capitalizing on National Burger Month and Cinco de Mayo. Embracing a Mexican/Tex-Mex approach, the recurring special featured the brand’s signature patty topped with queso fresco, pico de gallo and Central American-style crema between two “buns” of cheddar cheese quesadillas. “But, we weren’t satisfied just yet,” says Adrian Sanchez, director of culinary for PINCHO. “The flavor could still be better and the pico kept falling off the burger. I was working on a guacamole recipe to serve as a side and decided to add it on the burger. It ended up acting like a mortar for the pico, and the flavor of the burger just became next level.”

The Quesadilla Burger was the longest-running Chalkboard Special, but after a dozen-year run, it was time for an update. Enter the Smashdilla as the heir apparent. The LTO was inspired in part by the brand’s expansion into the Houston market, where quesadillas at local legend Pappasito’s Cantina spurred PINCHO to go next level. The Smashdilla moves away from the 4-inch tortilla “buns” of its predecessor, opting for footlong tortillas that would completely engulf the patty and cheese, the latter also being changed from queso fresco to a combo of Chihuahua and cheddar cheeses. “We also stepped back from those Mexican-forward flavors and focused more on a traditional burger flavor with a traditional quesadilla experience. We added pickles and green onions to pair with a double smash patty and voila, the Smashdilla was born,” Sanchez recounts. Despite the high bar, the Smashdilla surpassed the Quesadilla Burger’s sales—“not to mention it was a lot of fun shooting videos of its ooey-gooey cheesiness.”

This success also proves that quesadillas needn’t stick to the Mexican flavor system. Friendly’s recently applied a more northern style to the carrier with its New England Fisherman’s Quesadilla, featuring crispy tortillas filled with golden-brown cod fillets, melted cheese, sautéed onions and tomatoes. “We leaned into the craveability of New England seafood with familiar quesadilla format, balancing traditional spices with coastal flavors to create an approachable, indulgent fusion our guests could get excited about,” says Roberto De Angelis, the brand’s chief experience officer. The aim was to honor the region’s seafood roots and simplicity while providing a playful twist.

Although the Fisherman’s Quesadilla completed its run earlier this month, it set the stage for a summertime successor, the Lobster & Shrimp Quesadilla, which has graced the seasonal menu in years past. “Quesadillas are trending for their versatility and comfort-food appeal, making them the perfect canvas for creative flavor combinations like our coastal-inspired twists,” De Angelis says.

Counterintuitive as it may be, venturing outside the typical domain of quesadillas can offer operators a platform to double-down on a signature product. Such is the case with Zaxbys’ Giant Quesadillas, which ran from late April to early June. “It’s safe to say our quesadillas aren’t traditional. We set out to put a craveworthy twist on an already popular item while staying true to ourselves as leaders in Chicken Fingerz and sauces,” says Gregg Brickman, chef and senior director of menu innovation. “We took a classic, cranked up the flavor and added the sauce—literally and metaphorically.”

Indeed, sauces play a prominent role in the two Giant Quesadilla, serving as flavor modulators, as well as points of differentiation within the broader quesadilla category. Featuring a trio of the brand’s hand-breaded Chicken Fingerz, the Chicken Bacon Ranch Quesadilla is drizzled with ranch dressing and the Chicken Fajita Quesadilla with a Southwest ranch. And each comes with a side of sauce, too. “Incorporating an extra side of sauce even though there’s already sauce in the Quesadilla was a no brainer. We’re obsessed with sauce,” Brickman says. And true to their name, the Giant Quesadillas were positioned as a standalone meal rather than a snack or shareable. “When crafting these recipes, we wanted to ensure our ’dillas weren’t just delicious, but would satisfy our guests’ hunger, which is where the giant size came in,” he adds.

Although many of the creative quesadilla builds are gracing menus as limited-time offers, the recent spate of specials hints at a longer runway ahead. The carrier might not become as omnipresent as tacos, but its inherently craveability, cheese pull potential and ability to anchor a variety of ingredients open the door to compelling dishes that are primed for menu success. For Taco John’s, the OMCheese Quesadilla raised the bar, revealing just how much more there is to mine in the simple quesadilla. “It proved how much innovation is possible within our existing pantry, and how something as simple as cheese can still spark excitement,” Bergaus says. “We’re always chasing those moments where flavor, form and fun collide.”