Black Tap, the UAE’s favourite New York-style burger and shake spot, is partnering with luxury American automaker Cadillac, an iconic brand globally renowned for design, technology and craftsmanship, to introduce the Cadillac CrazyShake® and Cadillac Burger. We’ve exclusively chatted with Fadi Tadros, Communications Manager of Cadillac Middle East, on this fantastic branded collaboration. 

Fadi Tadros

BB: Tell us about the partnership between Cadillac and Black Tap. How did it come to life and why Black Tap?

FT: We’ve proudly joined forces with Black Tap, the UAE’s favorite New York-style burger and shake spot, to bring to life two limited-edition, Cadillac-inspired menu items; the Cadillac burger and Cadillac CrazyShake. 

At Cadillac, we’re known for innovation and love exploring new ventures, whilst simply having fun. As we share the same roots, values and premium standards as Black Tap, the chemistry was natural and the intent to work together was mutual. 

Honoring our American roots, the items depict Cadillac’s illustrious all-American heritage in true Black Tap style. The burger and shake were launched on May 10th, 2022 and will remain available until June 30th, 2022 across all Dubai and Abu Dhabi Black Tap stores, offering a wide range of customers the chance to give their taste buds a unique experience reminiscent of retro Americana.  

As part of this partnership, every diner, who purchases the Cadillac Burger and Cadillac CrazyShake®, automatically enters a draw to win a once in a lifetime trip to New York City. This prize includes return flights to New York City from the UAE for two adults, plus three nights’ accommodation at Sofitel New York and dinner at the famous Black Tap Soho restaurant in the Big Apple. Adding more luxury to this dream journey, the lucky winners are set to be driven around the city in a Cadillac by a dedicated chauffeur throughout the duration of their stay.

BB: What was the objective of the campaign? 

FT: Cadillac has long been established as a cultural icon, being featured in hundreds of art pieces, from song lyrics, movies, TV series and music videos. Food is also an art, and we wanted to celebrate it by iconizing Cadillac into a taste that can evoke the brands cultural and nostalgic heritage. Black Tap Dubai is a fresh, fun and upscale take on the classic burger joint. 

Through this partnership and the limited-edition menu, both parties aimed to create excitement and engage directly with a wider audience and consumers in an original way, giving them a taste of luxury – literally – as well as reward them with the chance to win a trip to the big apple.  

Cadillac is known for innovation, beating expectations, and delivering the extraordinary – and this partnership shows the wide horizon of opportunities we want to explore and bring to our existing and new audiences.

BB: How did you agree on the end products?

FT: As the situation is in most cases, the end product is just the tip of the iceberg. The succulent burger and shake are the result of months of behind-the-scenes work, trials and coordination with the team, both here in the UAE and in the US, to make sure these truly reflect our brand attributes.

Our aim was to create a premium dining experience, through a mix of carefully selected ingredients that do justice to both brands.

For the sweet tooth out there, The CrazyShake® is an indulgent drinkable dessert giving diners a real taste of the USA in luxury style. It features Black Tap’s now iconic shake glasses covered with a white frosted rim, carefully studded with gleaming gold and blue chocolate balls. The bejeweled glass is then filled with a creamy, dreamy black chocolate shake, before being finished with an array of utterly extra toppings and decorations including: a handcrafted Cadillac-themed cookie, silky, marshmallow-forward chocolate mallow pie, pretzel and almond coated chocolate sticks, whirls of whipped cream, an extravagant sprinkling of gold dust and perfectly red maraschino cherry. 

As for the burger, it is currently the most premium plate on Black Tap’s menu. It is the result of high-end, luxury ingredients combined to produce a glorious gourmet burger that can only be described as a no-holds barred celebration of America’s favorite food, with a distinctly premium twist. The Cadillac Burger features a juicy piece of prime beef fillet steak topped with mouth-watering fixings: rich, creamy truffle-mushroom sauce, piles of thin and crisp, perfectly golden shredded potatoes, spring onions, finely grated parmesan cheese, truffle aioli and a generous showering of fresh black truffle.

While the process took some time, it was truly a pleasure to work with a professional and most importantly passionate team, who took our illustrious heritage on board to create the Cadillac CrazyShake® and Burger.

BB: How has the demand and feedback for the Burger and Shake so far? What would you tell those who haven’t tried it yet?

FT:  It’s been over a month since the launch of the limited-time period menu items, and the echo has been remarkable. Hundreds of diners have experienced a Cadillac menu item and they have been seriously impressed!

In fact, we took renowned journalists to experience them at launch, and believe me when I say, everyone was so focused on enjoying every bite, that it was the most quiet we’ve ever seen them!

But, great things often come to an end. These items will only be available on the menu until June 30th, 2022 – so I really encourage foodies who haven’t experienced them yet, or want to give them another go, to make their way to any of the Black Tap branches to make sure they try it before it is gone. 

BB: What shall we expect next, once the partnership ends? 

FT: The partnership will end in the coming couple of weeks, and we’ll then be able to award the lucky trip winner with a once in a lifetime experience!

At Cadillac we are all about bringing unrivaled experiences to our customers, whether its in our cars, across our showrooms or in this situation, on the dining table.

After an exciting first half of 2022, we have much in store for the second half of the year and we promise to close it on a high note. This includes our multi-faceted Be Iconic campaign and celebrating 120 years of Cadillac. 2022 is about recognizing our innovative history and driving through to our all-electric future.

I can’t disclose much at this point but stay on the lookout and enjoy the ride!