On Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, Saxbys held a special matcha event for influencers to try their new matcha flavors. The Raspberry Butterfly Matcha and the Pĩna Colada matcha.
The event included beachy-themed painting of coffee cups, and getting to taste the two new beverages on the menu.
Delany Spano, a 23-year-old influencer with over 27,000 followers on TikTok, says Saxbys is the go-to place for emotional support since she is a commuter.
“I feel like, for me, it’s the perfect drink, like, emotional support drink to have in class because I’m a commuter student this semester, where I literally need my emotional support drink to get through all my classes and, like, my drive and everything, where it just goes with me from class to class, just to sip on all day long,” said Spano.
Ellie Grant, a senior in Computing and Informatics and the Student Vice President of Marketing for Saxbys, believes that working with influencers helps personify Saxbys’ motto.
“Student influencers definitely embody our for students, by students mindset, for this Saxbys location, and all Saxbys locations are always centered around the students,” said Grant.
Cade Padilla, a senior music industry influencer, thinks the Pĩna Colada Matcha solves problems.
“This right here will definitely take the edge off and set you up for success. Whether it’s a final exam, a quiz, you get your pina colada, matcha, all your problems will be solved,” said Padilla.
Grant believes that there has been a spike in interest in matcha beverages
“Looking around at just what the general market is looking like in cafes and coffee shops, people do seem to be expanding their matcha menus, and also with trends like the performative males and whatnot. There definitely seems to be a spike in interest for matcha,” said Grant.
Jason Rivera, a Sophomore psychology major, believes that coming to Saxbys and events like this influencer event helps him destress.
“I would say it pulls me out from all the stress of school. [The] school itself has so much work that has to be done. So when I get to come to Saxbys and relax, it helps me decompress,” said Rivera.
Juliette Carmona, an influencer with nearly 13,000 followers on TikTok, was initially shocked by the taste of the Raspberry Butterfly Matcha.
“I was a little shocked by it. It was very sweet, which I like, so I was expecting less sweet and like a hint of it. So I was very shocked. I actually really did enjoy it, and I would get it again for sure,” said Carmona.
Grant believes that the student leadership contributes to the ease of working with other student influencers.
“It’s really easy to collaborate with students and our team members to see what they would like to see in the cafe. So we look forward to events like these, where we can interact with the campus influencers and also collaborate with our team members and some of our guests and see what they want to see more of in the cafe,” said Grant.
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