CUDAHY, Wis. (CBS 58) -- This Sunday, June 21, marks the official start of summer! That means longer days, more time spent outside and enjoying your favorite summer drink. It was one summer drink, a soft-serve margarita, that ended up saving one Cudahy restaurant.

Mexic103 in Cudahy has all the staples: tacos, chips and salsa, burritos, and a busy bar. But for the past two months, everyone's been coming for one thing... a soft-serve margarita.

"We heard they had soft-serve margaritas. [I'm a] big margarita fan, so we decided to come out here and give it a try," said customer Mike Nowak, who was celebrating his birthday with a soft-serve margarita. He went on to say "it actually tastes like soft serve ice cream but also has the margarita taste to it. And it's not quite as sour as margaritas can sometimes be. Yeah, it’s delicious. It's kind of like a dessert margarita is what it is."

"We thought we’d just do it and get more customers in. Not that we were going to go viral." — Ericka Martel

A dessert is exactly what it's meant to emulate, says Mexic103 owner, Ericka Martel. She explained that the texture is very different than what you might explain, as it comes out of a soft-serve machine and comes with a spoon to be eaten with, as well as an edible flower and umbrella. "Some people compare it to the blended margarita, but it's not...  it doesn't have any ice in it so it’s an ice cream and super smooth," shared Martel.

For the restaurant, it's been more than just a drink said Martel, "this was truly a lifesaver."

Now open for eight years, she explained it hasn't always been smooth sailing: "2018 was busy. 2019 was busier. And then the pandemic hit, so that kind of changed everything. So, we didn't really go back to normal after the pandemic."

They're not alone, according to the Wisconsin restaurant association. Last year, nearly half of restaurant operators said their business was not profitable. To change that, Martel said they would often change the menu and the hours of operation.

The one thing that seemed to truly work for them though was the addition of the soft-serve margarita. Martel told us she got a message from a customer showing a soft serve margarita, saying "you should do it ASAP." So, Martel and her husband ended up doing research, ordering machines, and figuring out what recipe worked best. Then in April, they made a Facebook post, asking customers to try it.

Because of some videos from customers, like this one with about half a million views, they quickly went viral. "It fully changed; it’s a blessing," said Martel. 

The blessing means they don't have to worry anymore if the restaurant will survive another month, explaining they're nearly tripling their income on a given day, and having to double their staff to keep up with demand.

The impact of social media could be seen throughout the restaurant, as customers at nearly every table could be seen taking pictures of their soft-serve margarita. That included Isabella and Kaia who were out on a girl's night, driving nearly an hour, for a taste of the viral marg. "These were amazing. The best margarita I've ever had," said Isabella. "I’ve tried way more places than I ever did growing up just from the power of seeing places on social media," she continued.

Now Martel hopes this trend will last: "I want people to come in for the drink, for the dessert, and stay for the food."

Mexic103 is located at 3506 East Layton Avenue, Cudahy.