Create Our Next Taco Cabana Margarita Contest Rules

Last updated: July 17, 2025

Short Rules

Void where prohibited. Open to legal residents of TX, 21+, excluding professional bartenders, mixologists, and other beverage industry professionals. See Official Rules for full details. Contest open from 07/24/2025 to 08/10/2025. 3 Grand Prizes, 1 First Prize, and 12 Weekly Prizes available. Total ARV: $12,000 USD. Sponsor: Texas Taco Cabana, L.P. Participation is subject to the Official Rules, available at: tacocabana.com/margarita-contest-2025.

Official Rules

Must be of legal drinking age (21 years or older) and legally reside in the State of Texas to participate. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited.

1. Agreement & Overview

Please read these Official Rules carefully. They contain important information about your rights and obligations, as well as limitations and exclusions that may apply to you if you enter the Create Our Next Taco Cabana Margarita Contest (the “Contest”), sponsored by Texas Taco Cabana, L.P. (the “Sponsor”). This Contest seeks to find the most original and delicious homemade margarita recipe to join the Taco Cabana menu. The winning recipe will be chosen based on overall appeal and balance, creativity and the originality of the margarita’s name. The winning recipe may be served and promoted at Taco Cabana locations across Texas at the Sponsor’s discretion.

By entering the contest, you signify your agreement to these Official Rules and the decisions of the Sponsor and RAVEN5 Ltd. (the “Administrator”). If you do not agree to the Official Rules, you may not enter in the Contest.

2. Entry Period

The Contest begins at 12:00:01 AM Central Time (“CT”) on July 24, 2025 and ends at 11:59:59 PM CT on August 10, 2025 (the “Contest Period”).

The Contest Period includes three (3) weekly entry periods (each, a “Weekly Entry Period” and collectively, “Weekly Entry Periods”) during which entries for Weekly Prizes (as outlined below) must be received, as follows:

1. Weekly Entry Period 1 – July 24, 2025 to July 30, 2025;
2. Weekly Entry Period 2 – July 31, 2025 to August 6, 2025; and
3. Weekly Entry Period 3 – August 7, 2025 – August 10, 2025.

All entries must be received by the end of the applicable Weekly Entry Period to be eligible for that week’s drawing. Non-winning entries will roll-forward into any subsequent Weekly Entry Period(s), if any. All eligible entries received at any time during the Contest Period will also be included in the drawings for the Grand Prizes and First Prize.

3. Eligibility

The Contest is open only to legal residents of the State of Texas who are at least twenty-one (21) years of age at the time of entry (each, a “participant”, “entrant” or “you”).

Employees, shareholders, officers, directors, agents, members, licensees, successors and assigns of Sponsor, Administrator, their parent companies, and each of their respective subsidiaries, affiliates, advertising and promotion agencies, and prize providers involved in the administration of the Contest (collectively the “Contest Parties”) as well as the immediate family members (spouse, parent, child, sibling, and their respective spouses) and those living in the same household of each (whether related or not), are not eligible to enter the Contest. In addition, individuals who are employed as, or who have within the past twelve (12) months been employed as, professional bartenders, mixologists, beverage industry professionals, or in any other role where they are compensated to create, prepare, or serve alcoholic beverages (collectively, “Professionals”), are not eligible to enter or win this Contest. By entering, you represent and warrant that you are not a Professional as defined herein.

The Contest is subject to all applicable federal, state, municipal, territorial, and local laws and regulations and is void where prohibited. Sponsor reserves the right to verify eligibility requirements. Participation in the Contest constitutes an entrant’s full and unconditional agreement to these Official Rules and Sponsor’s decisions, which are final and binding in all matters related to the Contest, including eligibility determinations. Winning a prize is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements set forth herein.

4. How to Enter

To enter the Contest, entrants must create a unique and original margarita recipe and submit both a photo of the prepared margarita and the written recipe as part of their entry. Follow these steps to enter:

1. Prepare your unique and original margarita recipe and create a name for your margarita.
2. Take a clear photograph of the prepared margarita.
3. Write out the complete recipe, including a list of ingredients with exact measurements and step-by-step preparation instructions.
4. Visit tacocabana.com/margarita-contest-2025 (the “Contest Website”) during the Contest Period and complete the entry form by providing all required information, including uploading the photograph and written recipe, and agreeing to the Official Rules and Sponsor’s Privacy Policy (available at tacocabana.com/privacy-policy).

Entry Guidelines: Entries must be consistent with the Contest theme and must meet the following requirements:

1. Entries must include a unique and original margarita recipe and a name for the recipe, created solely by the entrant and not previously submitted into any contest or competition.
2. Entries must include a clear photograph of the prepared margarita.
3. Entries must be the entrant’s unique and original work.
4. Recipes must contain no more than 2.5 oz (at 40% ABV) total combined alcoholic ingredients.
5. Recipes must specify the brand(s) for any ingredients; any house or custom-made ingredient must include details on how to make said ingredient.
6. Recipes must not contain any ingredients which are dangerous, volatile, poisonous, or otherwise unsafe for human consumption.
7. Recipes must not exceed fifteen (15) ingredients or 10 oz total volume of combined ingredients.
8. Recipes must contain at least 1 oz but no more than 2 oz of tequila.

Non-compliant entries will not be considered. Entries may not:

1. Contain content that is indecent, sexually explicit, obscene, hateful, offensive, tortious, defamatory, libelous, political, religious or otherwise inappropriate.
2. Contain material that violates, infringes or otherwise misappropriates the rights of any third party (including trademark rights, copyrights, and rights of publicity).
3. Improperly or incorrectly suggest that Sponsor endorses or is affiliated with any entrant or any third party.
4. Disparage or demean Sponsor or Contest Parties.
5. Contain material that is unlawful in any way.

Any entry that violates any of the foregoing restrictions, in the Sponsor’s sole discretion, shall be void and will not be considered in the Contest. Sponsor reserves the right to remove and/or disqualify any entry that it finds unlawful, or in violation of these Official Rules, all in its sole discretion. Contest Parties are not responsible for lost, late, stolen, incomplete, inaccurate, invalid, un-intelligible, garbled, delayed or misdirected entries, all of which will be void. Sponsor reserves the right to post (or to not post) any entry onto any Contest-related gallery. Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify any entry, for whatever reason, including subsequent determination that an Entry does not comply with these Official Rules.

Limit: There is a limit of one (1) entry per person during the Contest Period. Any attempt by an entrant to submit more than one (1) entry by using multiple email addresses, identities, registrations and logins, or any other methods will void all of that such entrant’s entries. Use of any automated system to participate is prohibited and will result in disqualification. Only eligible entries uploaded through the Contest Website will be accepted. All entries become property of Sponsor and will not be acknowledged or returned.

5. Judging / Winner Selection

Grand Prizes: Sponsor will designate a panel of judges consisting of Sponsor representatives (the “Judging Panel”) to judge and score each eligible entry based on the following judging criteria (the “Judging Criteria”):

1. Appeal & Balance (50%) – How well the written recipe and photograph demonstrates an appealing, balanced, and flavorful margarita, based on the listed ingredients, proportions, and preparation method. Judges will assess whether the recipe appears to offer a harmonious blend of flavors (e.g., sweetness, acidity, strength) and whether it aligns with a classic or innovative margarita profile.
2. Creativity (40%) – The originality and creativity of the recipe, including unique or unexpected ingredients, innovative preparation techniques, and the overall inspiration behind the drink.
3. Margarita Name (10%) – The uniqueness and originality of the name given to the margarita, and how well it complements the recipe and theme.

The entrants who submit the three (3) highest scoring entries as determined by the Judging Panel will be deemed the Grand Prize winners, subject to verification of eligibility, compliance with these Official Rules, and final determinations of Sponsor.

In the event of a tie, an additional “tie-breaking” judge will evaluate the tied entries based on the criteria listed herein to determine the winner. The decisions of Sponsor and the Judging Panel are final and binding in all matters relating to this Contest and cannot be challenged or appealed.

First Prize: One (1) potential winner will be randomly selected from among all entries received during the Contest Period.

Weekly Prizes: Four (4) potential winners will be randomly selected from among all entries received during each Weekly Entry Period, for a total of twelve (12) potential Weekly Prize winners.

6. Winner Notification

On or about August 18, 2025, Sponsor or Administrator will notify the potential winners by email using the information provided at the time of entry. The potential winners will be declared official winners (each a “Winner” and collectively, “Winners”) after meeting the following requirements:

All potential winners will be required to respond to Sponsor’s or Administrator’s notification email and sign and return, by 11:59:59 PM ET on August 22, 2025, an Affidavit of Eligibility, a Liability Release, a Publicity Release (except where prohibited by law), and, for prizes valued at $600.00 USD or more, an IRS W-9 tax form (together, the “Release Forms”). Please note: the IRS W-9 tax form will require potential winners to furnish their Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) for the sole purpose of tax reporting, as required by law. The Sponsor will only use information from the W-9 to fulfill its tax requirements in connection with this Contest and for no other purpose. Where applicable, Winners will receive an IRS Form 1099-Misc from the Sponsor for the year in which the prize is received.

All Release Forms must be received by Sponsor or Administrator by the date provided in the respective notifications. If any potential winner cannot: (a) be contacted after two (2) attempts, (b) fails to respond and/or to provide any of the requested Release Forms within the required time period, (c) is otherwise in non-compliance with these Official Rules, (d) declines to or cannot accept the prize to be awarded, or (e) fails to satisfactorily meet the requirements as determined in Sponsor’s sole discretion, he/she will be disqualified and will no longer be eligible for a chance to win a prize.

No one is a Winner unless and until officially confirmed as such by the Sponsor or Administrator. Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify any Winner or potential winner based on the results of any verification conducted at any time during the Contest. In such event, Sponsor, in its sole discretion, may select an alternate potential winner for the applicable prize in accordance with these Official Rules, time permitting.

7. Prizes / Approximate Retail Value (“ARV”) / Odds

Grand Prizes: Three (3) Grand Prizes (each, a “Grand Prize” and collectively, “Grand Prizes”) are available to be won. Each Grand Prize consists of a trip for the winner and one (1) guest who must be at least twenty-one (21) years of age to Jalisco, Mexico, including:

1. round-trip coach class airfare for winner and a guest from a major U.S. gateway airport near the winner’s residence (as determined by the Sponsor in its sole discretion) to Jalisco, Mexico,
2. three (3) nights’ hotel accommodations (single room, double occupancy) at a hotel selected by the Sponsor, in its sole discretion.
3. a $1,500 USD cash stipend (which may be used towards meals, transportation and other personal expenses), and
4. an exclusive tour of a local facility (full details to be determined by the Sponsor).

The ARV of each Grand Prize is $3,500.00 USD. Total ARV of all Grand Prizes is $10,500.00 USD.

First Prize: One (1) First Prize (the “First Prize”) is available to be won, consisting of a Taco Cabana gift card valued at $750.00 USD.

The ARV of the First Prize is $750.00 USD.

Weekly Prizes: A total of twelve (12) Weekly Prizes (each a “Weekly Prize” and collectively, “Weekly Prizes”) are available to be won, as follows:

1. Three (3) Weekly Prizes consist of a Taco Cabana gift card valued at $150.00 USD – one (1) to be awarded from among all entries received during each Weekly Entry Period.
2. Three (3) Weekly Prizes consist of a Taco Cabana gift card valued at $50.00 USD – one (1) to be awarded from among all entries received during each Weekly Entry Period.
3. Six (6) Weekly Prizes consist of a Taco Cabana gift card valued at $25.00 USD – two (2) to be awarded from among all entries received during each Weekly Entry Period.

The total ARV of all Weekly Prizes is $750.00 USD.

The total ARV of all Prizes in this Contest is $12,000.00 USD.

Odds of winning the First Prize depend on the number of eligible entries received during the Contest Period. Odds of winning a Weekly Prize depend on the number of eligible entries received during each Weekly Entry Period.

Prize Conditions

Travel, along with hotel accommodations for Grand Prize Winners and their guests shall be booked by Administrator following verification of Winners. Travel arrangements are subject to availability and other restrictions; blackout dates may apply. All guests must have reached twenty-one (21) years of age or older prior to signing the requisite Liability and Publicity Releases in order to accompany a Grand Prize Winner on the Grand Prize trip.

Each Grand Prize Winner and their guest must travel on the same itinerary and have all required valid passports and visas (with the term “valid” being defined as what is valid under United States and foreign laws) at the time of departure from the United States including up to the time of return to the United States. In the event that, for any reason, a Winner does not have any required valid passport/visa at the time of departure, neither such Winner, nor their Guest may travel and the prize will be forfeited in its entirety (and nothing will be substituted in its place), but if at the time of departure such Winner does have any required valid passport/visa and his/her guest does not have required valid passport/visa, such Winner may travel unaccompanied by guest and may not choose a new guest.

Winners must be able to accept the prizes as presented or the respective prize may be forfeited in its entirety and an alternate potential winner may be selected in Sponsor’s sole discretion, time permitting. Sponsor’s determinations regarding the awarding of prizes are final.

In accepting a prize, winners are responsible for all federal, state, county, local and all other taxes (including income and withholding) on the prize and all costs and expenses not specifically listed above as part of a prize, including, without limitation, surcharges, service charges, meals, food, beverages, insurance, valid travel documentation, passports, medical/health expenses, gratuities, excess baggage fees, communication charges, and all other personal expenses and incidentals.

Winners and their guests must abide by all venue, travel and event policies as well as any instructions or terms provided by the Sponsor and prize providers. Gift card prizes are subject to terms and conditions, which are available at: tacocabana.com/gift-cards-terms-of-use. Gift cards are not redeemable for cash (except where required by law), will not be replaced if lost or stolen, and are void if altered or reproduced.

Sponsor reserves the right to revoke full or partial prizes from any Grand Prize Winner or guest who it deems, in its sole discretion, may be intoxicated, poses a health or safety risk, has violated any policy, law, or regulation, or engages in behavior that may bring the Contest Parties into disrepute. In such event, Sponsor shall have no obligation to provide any replacement.

All details and other restrictions of prizes not specified in these Official Rules will be determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion. Actual value of prizes under this Contest may be lower or higher at the time of fulfillment, and any difference between actual value and the stated ARV (if actual value is lower than stated ARV) will not be awarded. Prize ARV represents Sponsor’s good faith determination, is final and binding and cannot be challenged or appealed. Sponsor is not responsible if any element of a prize is delayed, altered, postponed or cancelled for any reason. Prizes are non-transferable, non-refundable, and no substitution or cash redemption will be made except as provided herein at the Sponsor’s sole discretion. Sponsor reserves the right, for whatever reason, to substitute a prize (or any component thereof) for one of equal or greater value.

8. Ownership of Entries; License Grant

By entering the Contest, each entrant represents and warrants that their submitted recipe and any accompanying materials (the “entry”) are the original work of the entrant, do not infringe the intellectual property or other rights of any third party, and have not been previously published, sold, or otherwise distributed.
By submitting an entry, each entrant grants to Sponsor and its designees, a perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, sublicensable, transferable, worldwide license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from, distribute, display, and otherwise exploit the entry, in whole or in part, in any manner and in any media now known or hereafter devised, including but not limited to incorporating the recipe into Sponsor’s menu items, advertising, marketing, and promotional materials, without further compensation, notice, or approval. Without limiting the foregoing, the winning recipe may be featured, served, or otherwise used by Sponsor at its discretion.
Each entrant agrees to execute any documents and take any further actions requested by Sponsor to effect, perfect, or confirm Sponsor’s rights set forth above. Entrants understand and agree that they shall have no right of review or approval, no claim to compensation, and no claim (including, without limitation, claims based upon invasion of privacy, defamation, or right of publicity) arising out of any use, blurring, alteration, or use in composite form of their entry as permitted herein.

9. Release; Indemnification; Disclaimer of Warranty

By participating in the Contest, each entrant agrees to forever and irrevocably release and hold harmless the Sponsor, Administrator, their parent companies, and each of their respective subsidiaries, affiliates, advertising and promotion agencies or prize providers involved in the administration of the Contest (the “Released Parties”) from any and all liability for any loss, harm, damage, injury, cost, or expense of any nature whatsoever (including attorneys’ fees) (collectively, “Losses”) which may arise in connection with: (a) the Contest or any element thereof, including entry or participation; (b) the delivery, possession, acceptance, use, or misuse of any prize or any component thereof; or (c) participation in any Contest‑related or any prize‑related activity. This release applies regardless of whether such Losses are caused, in whole or in part, by: (1) any wrongful, negligent, or unauthorized act or omission of the Released Parties, their contractors, or any other person or entity not an employee of the Released Parties; or (2) any other cause, condition, or event beyond the control of the Released Parties.

In addition, each entrant agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Released Parties from and against any and all damages, Losses, costs, and expenses (including settlement amounts and reasonable attorneys’ fees) incurred in connection with any third‑party claim, demand, liability, suit, proceeding, or action arising out of or resulting from: (i) the entrant’s breach or alleged breach of any representations, warranties, or agreements made hereunder; or (ii) the entrant’s possession, use, or misuse of any prize or component thereof.

Each entrant acknowledges and agrees that the Released Parties have not made, and are not responsible or liable for, any warranty, representation, or guarantee, express or implied, in fact or in law, regarding any prize or its components. Except as prohibited by applicable law, all prizes are provided “as is” without warranty of any kind, express or implied, and the Released Parties expressly disclaim all warranties, including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non‑infringement.

10. Publicity

Except where legally prohibited, participation in the Contest and acceptance of a prize constitutes entrants’ consent to the Sponsor’s use of names, likenesses, photographs, videos, voices, opinions and/or hometowns & states, and/or entries for promotional purposes in any media now known or hereafter devised, worldwide, without further payment or consideration, notice, review or approval.

11. General

All decisions of Sponsor in connection with this Contest shall be binding and final in all respects. Sponsor reserves the right to terminate, cancel, suspend and/or modify the Contest, if intervening circumstances warrant, within Sponsor’s sole discretion, due to any fraud, virus or other technical problem which corrupts the administration, security, or proper entry or voting into the Contest, or for any other reason. In such event, Sponsor reserves the right to award the prizes from among the eligible entries received up to the time of the termination, cancellation, suspension and/or modification in accordance with these Official Rules. Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any individual it finds to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Contest or to be acting in violation of these Official Rules or in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner.

Any attempt by any person to deliberately undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest may be a violation of criminal and civil law, and should such an attempt be made, Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law. Sponsor’s failure to enforce any term or provision of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that term or provision.

12. Limitation of Liability

Without limiting anything set forth above in these Official Rules, Released Parties shall not have any obligation, responsibility or liability, including any obligation or responsibility to provide a prize to any Winner, with regard to: (a) entries entered through the use of any robotic or automated device/computer program or any other non-human mechanism, entity, or device; (b) entries in excess of the stated entry limit; (c) entries that are illegible, late, forged, destroyed, lost, misplaced, stolen, misdirected, tampered with, incomplete, deleted, damaged, garbled, altered or otherwise not in compliance with or in violation of these Official Rules, whether caused by any equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Contest or any other reason beyond Released Parties’ control; (d) any technical or human error which may occur in the creation, submission, assignment or processing of entries in the Contest, including any technical or human error in connection with any social media platforms, Contest Website and/or the hosting thereof; (e) entries, prize claims or notifications that are not received by the intended recipient due to transmission, technical, computer or human failures or error of any kind, including any entries, prize claims or notifications that are delayed, misdirected, or undelivered as a result of any failure or problem with the availability, functionality, operability or use of any network, server, ISP, website (including the Contest Website), computer, internet connection, hand-held mobile device, social media platform, or any other equipment or connection used in connection with the Contest; (f) changes in an entrant’s information which affects the ability to contact such entrant; (g) typographical errors in Contest promotional material; (h) cancellations and/or delays or any change by any company or any other persons providing any of components of the prizes due to reasons beyond the control of any of the Released Parties; (i) any interruptions, postponement or cancellation of Contest; (j) human error; incorrect or inaccurate transcription of entry information; (k) any technical malfunctions of the computer on-line system, computer dating mechanism, computer equipment, software, any social media platform, or internet service provider utilized by any of the Released Parties or entrants; (l) interruption or inability to access the Contest, any Contest-related Web pages (including the Contest Website), any social media platform, or any on-line service via the Internet due to hardware or software compatibility problems; (m) any damage to any entrant’s (or any third person’s) computer and/or its contents related to or resulting from any part of the Contest; (n) any lost/delayed data transmissions, omissions, interruptions, defects; and/or (o) any other errors or malfunctions, even if caused by the negligence of any one or more of the Released Parties.

13. Disputes

Any and all disputes, claims, and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Contest or any prize awarded shall be resolved exclusively by the appropriate federal or state court located in Bexar County (San Antonio), Texas, U.S.A., and all issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation, and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of entrants and Sponsor in connection with the Contest, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of Texas, U.S.A., without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules (whether of the State of Texas or any other jurisdiction) that would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than the State of Texas.

Except where prohibited by law, all entrants agree that: (i) any and all such disputes, claims, and causes of action shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action; (ii) any and all claims, judgments, and awards shall be limited to actual out-of-pocket costs incurred, including costs associated with entering this Contest, but in no event attorneys’ fees; (iii) under no circumstances will entrants be permitted to obtain awards for, and entrants hereby waive all rights to claim, indirect, punitive, incidental, consequential, and/or any other damages, other than actual out-of-pocket expenses; (iv) they waive any and all rights to have damages multiplied or otherwise increased; (v) they irrevocably consent to the personal jurisdiction of the aforesaid courts and waive any claim of forum non conveniens or lack of personal jurisdiction; and (vi) if any provision of these Official Rules is declared invalid or unenforceable, such provision will be deemed modified to the extent necessary and possible to render it valid and enforceable, and the unenforceability or invalidity of any provision will not affect any other provision of these Official Rules, which shall continue in full force and effect as if such provision had not been included or had been modified as described above, as applicable.

14. Privacy

Personal information collected through the administration of the Contest is subject to and may be used and shared by Sponsor, including in connection with the administration of this Contest to notify and verify Winners, to fulfill prizes, publicly announce a list of the winners, as well as for marketing communications if an entrant has opted in to receive such correspondence. All personal information will be processed in accordance with Sponsor’s Privacy Policy at tacocabana.com/privacy-policy, Administrator’s privacy policy at raven5.com/privacy, and applicable law.

15. Winners List Requests

For a list of the winners (available after August 25, 2025), including first name, last initial, and city of residence, send an email to help@raven5.com with the subject line: Create Our Next Taco Cabana Margarita Contest – Winners List Request. Winners List requests must be received no later than October 25, 2025, requests received after this time will not be fulfilled.

16. Sponsor

Texas Taco Cabana, L.P. 1077 Central Parkway S, #600, San Antonio, TX, 78232.

17. Administrator

RAVEN5 Ltd. 401 East Jackson Street, Suite 2340, Tampa, FL, 33602.