Casa Olé rolls out weekday lunch specials starting at $8.99

Casa Olé is launching a fall weekday lunch menu with Tex-Mex meals starting at $8.99, available dine-in Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at participating locations. The lineup adds pricing tiers and optional add-ons as the chain aims to draw more lunch traffic without straying from its core menu.

Why it matters: - Casa Olé is using price tiers and add-ons to give lunch customers more control over cost and meal size. - The move targets weekday diners looking for a faster, lower-cost Tex-Mex option during the lunch window. - The menu also gives Casa Olé a clearer value message heading into fall.

What happened: - Casa Olé launched “Your Lunch. Your Call.”, a fall lunch specials menu. - The specials are available Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at participating Casa Olé restaurants. - The menu is dine-in only. - Prices start at $8.99.

The details: - The lunch menu is built around three price points: $8.99, $9.99 and $10.99. - Optional drinks, sides and appetizers can be added to any meal. - At $8.99, guests can order the Lunch Beef & Bean Burrito, two Lunch Enchiladas or the Laredo. - The Laredo includes a cheese enchilada, bean chalupa and queso tostada. - Each $8.99 selection comes with rice and beans. - At $9.99, guests can choose a Lunch Quesadilla with fajita beef or fajita chicken, Grilled Chicken & Veggie Salad, Taco Salad & Soup or the El Paso. - The El Paso includes two enchiladas and a beef crispy taco. - At $10.99, guests can order a Lunch Chimichanga with ground beef or shredded chicken, Lunch Fajitas with beef or chicken, or the Lunch Taco al Carbon with fajita beef or fajita chicken and queso for dipping. - Each $10.99 entree is served with rice and beans. - Add-ons include a $2 drink with soda, tea or sweet tea. - Guests can add an item for $2, including a crispy taco, bean chalupa, queso tostada or cup of soup. - Guests can add a small queso or guacamole for $3. - Lindsey Hunt, brand president of Casa Olé, said the menu was designed to make lunch more affordable and easier to return to weekly. - Hunt said the fall menu is meant to balance value and choice while keeping the Casa Olé lunch experience familiar.

Between the lines: - The menu leans on familiar Tex-Mex staples instead of introducing a major new concept. - The pricing structure suggests Casa Olé is trying to capture both budget-conscious guests and diners who want a fuller plate. - Dine-in-only availability may help drive daytime traffic into restaurants, even as it limits convenience for takeout customers. - Casina Hospitality, Casa Olé’s parent company, positions the brand around familiar flavors and community connections. - Casina Hospitality also operates Monterey’s Little Mexico, which has served traditional Tex-Mex favorites since 1955. - Casa Olé has been known since 1973 for queso, enchiladas, fajitas, margaritas and combination plates.

What's next: - The lunch specials will remain available at participating Casa Olé restaurants during weekday lunch hours. - Casina Hospitality says it will continue focusing on memorable dining experiences and community partnerships through its restaurant brands. - Casa Olé is also directing customers to its social channels for brand updates, including Instagram and Facebook.

The bottom line: - Casa Olé is betting that a simple, flexible lunch deal will bring more weekday diners through the door this fall.