Pepsico’s tortilla restaurant launch - summary
- PepsiCo opens Pilla Tortilla showcasing tortillas made with Lay’s crisps
- Menu features multiple tortilla varieties using crisps with inventive toppings
- Starters and desserts incorporate Lay’s to create novel flavour experiences
- Launch supports PepsiCo expansion into away‑from‑home channels across Spain today
- Concept targets broad audiences while enabling long‑term branded food innovation
In Spain, the famed potato tortilla is among the most loved of national dishes. Made with eggs, potatoes, and often onions, fried in olive oil, it’s enjoyed either warm or cold, as an appetiser or as a main dish.
But at PepsiCo’s brand-new restaurant in the Spanish capital of Madrid, a new ingredient is being added to the crowd favourite. And not just as an extra, but as the main ingredient. “Lay’s crisps are incorporated directly into the omelette mixture,” explains Erica Lascorz, senior director of innovation marketing at PepsiCo Europe.
The invention marks the basis for not only Lay’s first ever restaurant, but PepsiCo’s, as the snacks giant works to build its away-from-home channel and new consumption occasions.
What’s on the menu at PepsiCo’s new restaurant?
The restaurant is coined Pilla Tortilla, and so understandably, tortillas feature heavily on the menu. All made with Lay’s, but with a range of different toppings available. The Mallorquina comes with spicy sausage, brie and honey. The Marinera is served with anchovies and Lay’s, and the Rachera with pulled pork.
Elsewhere, Lay’s crisps also feature in the restaurant’s starters. Fish and chips are served with Lay’s Salt & Vinegar crisps, and marinated mussels come with branded crisps, accompanied by a lime mayonnaise.
Sides are Lay’s-free, with options such as cherry tomatoes, lettuce hearts or gazpacho with croutons. But the dessert menu puts the potato crisp front and centre once more, with a dulce de leche ice cream served with chocolate, goat’s cheese, honey, and Lay’s.
“We wanted to go beyond the typical snack moment and turn something as familiar as eating a tortilla into a unique concept: ‘grabbing a tortilla’ – a special shared moment with an authentic brand experience," says Lascorz.
Chef Miguel Carretero is in charge of all things culinary, with his restaurant Santerra – just a 30-minute stroll from Pilla Tortilla – having recently earned a Michelin star.
“This project shows our commitment to elevating one of our most iconic brands with proposals that connect with consumers and strengthen brand recognition,” says PepsiCo’s Lascorz.
The strategy behind the launch
PepsiCo is opening one restaurant concept, but technically it has two branches. One, a bar restaurant with a full menu, as well as a delivery and takeaway service. And the other, a takeaway only kitchen.
Both form part of PepsiCo’s push to build its away-from-home channel and encourage new consumption occasions. Away-from-home is a growing and strategically important channel for the multinational, and its restaurant is just the latest in a line of concepts designed to grow audiences in different environments.
More than most in PepsiCo’s portfolio, the Lay’s brand has invested in branded pop-ups, street food partnerships and experiential events.
The multinational uses these occasions to play around with more daring flavour combinations, like Lay’s with pastel de nata (custard tart) flavours in Portugal, or crisps with pickled vegetables, strawberry jam, or currywurst flavourings in Germany.
But making this latest investment in Spain is strategic. The country plays an important role in PepsiCo’s food strategy, says Lascorz. “It has a deep-rooted culinary culture and a very dynamic gastronomic scene, which makes it a natural place to test and develop food-led innovation linked to our brands.”
Now that PepsiCo’s officially in restaurants, are more on the horizon?
Although the Tortilla Pilla restaurant and concept may look like it’s appealing to Gen Z consumers, with casual seating and experimental flavours, PepsiCo hopes to draw in a “broad audience” – whether that’s people looking for a quick and tasty meal, or those wanting to discover new food experiences.
Meanwhile, the takeaway concept is definitively aimed at younger consumers.
Importantly, neither outlet is a pop-up or marketing activation. PepsiCo is investing in restaurants for the future. “We see Pilla Tortilla as a long-term initiative. In this first phase, our priority is to test and refine the concept to ensure it delivers the best possible experience,” says Lascorz.
“Any future expansion will depend on how the model performs and how consumers respond.”
