SheeFood

Cool Tamales

I wish I could have titled this Hot Tamales, but I see no evidence that tamales are hot right now on American menus. But strangely, they are hot here on the island of Kauai—not in restaurants, but along the road from food trucks, roadside stands and from front yards next to busy roads. And these aren’t microwaved Costco frozen tamales.

As near as I can tell, tamales on mainland American menus is only a “thing” around Christmas as traditional Hispanic holiday fare. But that doesn’t account for the year-round abundance of tamales along the road in Kauai—especially considering the Hispanic population here is miniscule.

The population on Kauai runs about 72,000, not counting tourists, of which there are more than 100,000 in any given month. Therein may be the key. Tourists spend their hard-earned nickels and dimes on expensive vacation necessities like airfare, car rental and lodging, which leaves them to their ingenuity to forage for economical meals between excursions. In that case, all these roadside tamale stands make a lot of convenient, cheap, portable sense. (There are far more tamale stands than McDonalds here.)

But back to the mainland and the potential for tamales outside of the holidays. Tamales simply fly under the radar. Maybe they do best at such convenience locales as ball parks and fairs and festivals—lumped in with funnel cakes and corn dogs—which are one-off purchases.

For restaurants, of course tamales make the most sense among those that specialize in Mexican/Southwest cuisine. Here are some versions I’ve seen on menus for a little inspiration:

• Chili Cheese Tamales: Tamales topped with chili, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream and cilantro (Del Taco)
• Spicy Chicken Tamale: Comes with Guajillo sauce, avocado balm and salsa fresca (Border Grill)
• Vegetarian Tamale: Calabacitas, queso de Oaxaca, mole Amarillo (The Coyote Café)
• Short Rib Tamale: Comes with black bean salsa, ancho chili sauce and crème fraiche (Hot and Hot Fish Club)
• Hola Hemp Tamales: Plant-based hemp seed, flax, nopales and quinoa tamales served with vegan arroz blanco, tomatillo sauce and frijoles charros (El Charro Café)
• Tamale Boat: Tamales smothered in chili and topped with sharp cheddar cheese and onion (Al’s Beef)

On Kauai, I’d call tamales “familiar comfort” for the tourists. You don’t see roadside stands selling traditional Hawaiian fare. Tourists wouldn’t likely stop for poke, musubi or lau lau, for example. “Eat local” is kind of out the window when you’re on vacation between waterfalls, hikes, sunset photo ops and monk seal sitings!

Jody

Wait Until You See the Next Sustainable Wave

Ethical raising of food is a thing, as you know. Some food-producing options beg the question, just because you can, should you? I believe robots in the kitchen fell under that for a minute. Some cried “foul!” at the potential of taking a job away from an employee. Then came COVID and the labor crisis, and now, who can remember why we didn’t want robots?

My career in food and foodservice editorial dates back to the days when folks thought irradiation of produce was a crime against humanity. Food watchdogs put that aphid-killing procedure in their crosshairs, perhaps not realizing that irradiation was the only way to get tropical fruit into the mainland in a still-edible form. I haven’t heard the word irradiation in years. It’s a non-issue.

The next one up that you may not see coming now is cell-cultured meat. Back in the day, it would have fallen under the category of “Frankenfood.” But I think it will bypass that stigma in the current “save the planet” ethos. Someday, lab-grown meat will reach a production level that will put the price on par with traditional meat. The reason it will evade the negative spotlight is because of the global issues it addresses: animal welfare, land use and green-house gas reduction. As the R&D speeds forward, other issues and perceptions must be overcome: flavor/texture, nutritional equivalence and price for sure.

As with anything, education and marketing will be key, starting with how it is produced. A sample of the animal muscle is extracted, then cut into small pieces and separated into cells that go into a culture. There they merge and grow, eventually into strands. With enough strands, a meat patty can be formed.

The government actually backs the development and production of cell-based meat. In 2021, the USDA granted Tufts University $10 million to found the Center for Cellular Agriculture and Cultured Meat. Israel is ahead of the U.S. in the development of cell-cultured meat. Google Future Meat Technologies. It’s been fast at work on cell-cultured meat and announced in December 2021 that it was already producing cultivated chicken breast for $7.70 per pound, down from $18 per pound just 6 months earlier. The goal is to get it under $4 per pound.

The big food companies are all over this. That’s why you’re suddenly going to see cell-based food. You see, chicken and burgers are just the start. Cultivated dairy is also on the horizon. Google Perfect Day Company. It is replicating milk protein in an animal-free way. It can be done, and General Mills is working on a vegan cream cheese with the same technology. And then, imagine cell-cultured honey that doesn’t involve bees. Google MeliBio to learn about that.

All this will be here before you know it, and who will oppose it? Once the taste and price are on par with “the real thing,” the food supply will be transformed in a sustainable, ethical way. And you didn’t know how close we are.

Tell me what you think.

Jody

Biggest 2022 Food Trend

As I look at future food trends—2022 and beyond—I think plant-based meat and dairy alternatives have the most legs. Some trends are consumer driven. But plant-based adds a sustainability layer that investors are keen to finance to the finish. Oh, and BTW, consumers are along for the ride. I also think that with technology we barely grasp right now, the further-out future will bring competitively priced cell-based meat. Development is well under way.

Before I dial it back to what’s happening on menus right now, I’ll go a bit further with a global coating on top. Global stakeholders concerned with climate change will see to it that plant- and cell-based food eventually dominates the world food supply. Suffice it to say, the plant-based space has its sponsors that are not likely to let it fade to fickle fad. But so far, flimsy whim is not an issue for plant-based meat and dairy alternatives. Consumers are gradually getting on board with plant-based dairy leading the way, especially almond milk, according to the NPD’s Nutritional Eating Trends report.

Currently, plant-based alternative adoption is in its infancy. Only 15% of consumers use plant-based alternatives such as almond milk, tofu and veggie burgers (and most of that is almond milk). Of those who do consume plant-based meat and dairy alternatives, 56% have health and wellness in mind, followed by 40% who do so for environmental sustainability. Plant-based burgers are the meat alternative most eaten with 39% usage at home and 37% away from home, per NPD Group. Plant-based burgers have actually become pretty ubiquitous out there.

For restaurants, after burgers, the low-hanging fruit of plant-based protein is chicken. Plant-based aside, chicken is easily the top animal protein consumers eat, while beef consumption has steadily declined. Yet chicken has not made up a lot of the plant-based launches at restaurants.

However, plant-based chicken is starting to roost. KFC is in the midst of its due diligence in making it part of its menu. It tested Beyond Fried Chicken in a few markets in 2019 and 2020. Now it’s in the midst of a national LTO. Burger King has tested Impossible Nuggets in a few markets.

Keep your eye on the big chains. They are pioneering these plant-based proteins for consumers who can test them with little outlay to decide if they want to make them part of their diet. Plant-based sausage is also showing up more. Chipotle is in the midst of a plant-based chorizo LTO.

The World Economic Forum, among other global entities, pushes for a plant-based diet in its sustainability drive that would like to dictate plant-based as the direction in which the world’s collective diet needs to go. An article on its website says, “Switching en masse to a plant-based diet is essential to protect wildlife habitats and prevent the loss of numerous species currently facing extinction.” The quote is from a study by researchers at UK think tank Chatham House, supported by the United Nations (UN) Environment Programme.

In other areas, we’ve seen recently how global thought leaders influence global dictations. With plant-based meat and dairy alternatives, let’s hope all can arrive at their own conclusions without the dictates of fear-mongers. The report quoted above further says, “Unless we change what we eat and how it is produced, the planet’s ability to support humans could come under threat.” I assure, the sky will not fall if we eat meat.

Nevertheless, plant-based meat and dairy alternatives are a welcome option and addition to the diet for health and sustainability reasons, and thus we will see more well-funded R&D along with increased availability—guaranteed.

As for cell-based meat, that’s a topic for next time.

Tell me what you think.

Jody

2022 is Set for This Ingredient

Health, nutrition and plant-based sensibilities aside, a big menu trend I see for 2022 is the outpouring of cheese. It fits within nostalgia, comfort, familiar, crave worthy and delish with applications that a guest probably wouldn’t make at home.

As long as there are R&D chefs, there will always be new ways to bring the cheese, and no one is complaining. Imagination led to some very creative LTOs in the later months of 2021. I predict the cheese will continue to flow through 2022.

Before I address chain-specific mac and cheese dress-ups, I want to give my verbal prize to what struck me as the most refreshing idea. In November 2021, Red Robin came out with a fondue-themed LTO with its Cheesy Bacon Fondue Burger along with a side of Cheesy Bacon Fondue as a fry dip or to pour over any side or appetizer. In an age when queso is going the distance, the fondue alternative is fresh and nostalgic at the same time (for boomers).

Another noteworthy LTO at the same time was Applebee’s Cheetos Wings & Cheese Bites that essentially panko crusted boneless wings as well as cheese bites with Cheetos crumbles before frying. If that sounded unappealing, another option featured the two items tossed in “original Cheetos Wing Sauce.”

The brilliance of this that I want to point out is the brand collaboration that brought that about. I think we will see more partnerships like this. Already Dine Brands’ Buffalo Wild Wings has partnered with Doritos for a wing sauce and other associations with the snack food beast I recently blogged about. The Cheetos LTO must be Inspire Brands’ answer to that. This leaves room for someone to partner with Cheez-it!

Also, there is still some distance to go with the simple cheeseburger. Consider Culver’s CurderBurger LTO. That was a cheeseburger topped with breaded and fried cheese curds.

But now for what some chains have done to get comfy with mac and cheese.

• If chicharron-topped mac and cheese doesn’t fit into an operation’s wheelhouse, come up with a crunchy alternative that does. Long John Silver’s promoted Mac & Cheese with Crumblies, which tops the iconic comfort dish with small pieces of fried batter. High five, Long John Silver’s!
• How about putting a little black dress on mac and cheese? Noodles & Company promoted Truff Mac, which was Mac & Cheese drizzled with Truff Black Truffle Hot Sauce. That’s a blend of chilis, agave nectar, black truffle and spices.

• Qdoba did the right thing and substituted in queso for the cheese in its recent Mac & Queso LTO. But this wasn’t just a simple craveable side. Besides Mac & Queso, the promotion also included Cholula Mac & Queso Bowl or Burrito with chicken; Tex Mex Mac & Queso Bowl or Burrito topped with smoked brisket; and Loaded Mac & Queso Burrito also with smoked brisket.

It’s possible we haven’t even scratched the surface of what’s possible with cheese on the menu. I used to be editor of a magazine that was just about the possibilities of fruits and vegetables on the menu. It would probably still be around today if cheese had been the focus ingredient instead!

Tell me what you think.

Jody

Veterans Rock

For Veterans Day, I’d like to align myself with the hundreds of restaurant chains, c-stores and grocery stores that are honoring veterans with free meals, beverages or single menu items. Marketing aside, this might be one of the most crucial years ever to honor veterans. I’m not a veteran, but if I was, I’d be dealing with political and social questions that would make me wonder if my service was worth it. I won’t delve into any of the head-scratching national news we all read and hear about daily. Suffice it to say, it’s like the junior varsity is in charge and the coach is MIA.

But to the veterans, I join with the rest of the foodservice industry in saying, “Your service was worth it. You demonstrated courage; dealt with physical, mental and emotional pain; stood up and were present when called on; and kept your questions and doubts at bay. You “took it.” These are admirable qualities we wish everyone had, and we recognize you for it, so here is a token today to honor you for your service.”

Well, I don’t have anything to offer, but I’ll point out a few of the interesting tokens I’m aware of.

• California Pizza Kitchen gets the restaurant prize for doing more. Besides giving a free entrée and beverage for dine-in veterans, they are also providing them with a buy-one-get-one-free offer redeemable from Nov. 12-20. Plus the chain is donating 20% of all sales from Nov. 8-10 to Disabled American Veterans. Plus, several of the chain’s locations will feature a fallen hero table to honor those who lost their lives during their service. Kudos to CPK.
• C-store chain Sheetz wants to offer veterans a free car wash and turkey sub sandwich on Veteran’s day. They are champs.
• Grocery store chain Hy-Vee traditionally honors veterans on their day. They are offering veterans and active military members a free curbside pickup breakfast before 10 a.m. and 15% off groceries.
• Then there are truck stops: Petro Stopping Centers and TA Stopping Centers. Some have the restaurants Country Pride or Iron Skillet. They are offering a complimentary meal from a select menu that includes a beverage on Veterans Day.

But this is by no means a complete list of meal freebies, as any veteran knows. When it comes to physical refreshment, this day beats Trick or Treating by miles.

Veterans, this day is for you. A Hallmark card will not do. You must eat!

Thank you for your service!

Jody

Stop, Top and Roll

I find it intriguing lately that the method operators are using to add a twist to common menu items is to add a dust, coating or sprinkle to them—which can either take them salty or sweet. I mentioned this observation to a chef recently, and he agreed, stating that he’s noticed Fruity Pebbles showing up in unexpected places. More on this later.

It’s not hard to upgrade a standard menu item with a dust or roll and tout that trendy flavor. Fried chicken brand  Fuku developed an October LTO of Voodoo Fingers, which were simply fried chicken fingers dusted in Zapp’s Potato Chips’ New Orleans-inspired “Voodoo Spice.” How easy was that?

If you combine your LTO dreams with a popular CPG product, you can come up with the likes of Buffalo Wild Wings’ Doritos Spicy Sweet Chili Flavored Sauce. The fall wing-sauce LTO is a blend of soy sauce, brown sugar, onion, garlic and paprika on wings topped with Doritos Spicy Sweet Chili Chip crumbles.

Appetizers present a hip place to add a dusting, as in ABC Kitchen’s Pretzel Dusted Calamari for $20. 

Salt and parmesan are common dusts to add to items, but other cheeses with their flavors present a great way to combine trendy with comfy. Condado Tacos developed the Smokin’ Joe Kush that they described as a soft flour tortilla around a hard taco shell that’s coated in jalapeno-cheddar dust and filled with ground beef, smoked cheddar cheese sauce, and more.

Chef callout

What’s behind this stop, top and roll tactic? I submit that it’s R&D chefs doing their best job during the pandemic when many things have changed. For one, comfort food rose to the top, as it always does during uncertain, turbulent times. Doritos and Fruity Pebbles are reminiscent of familiar, carefree times.

The labor crisis is another factor that is driving menu innovation. I interviewed several R&D chefs for an upcoming article, and they confirmed that to accomplish dish complexity, comfort and intrigue these days requires the fewest ingredients possible. The labor force simply isn’t there to assemble complex sauces, glazes and flavor-enhancers inhouse. It’s the job of the restaurant chain R&D chef to find vendors (hello chip and cereal manufacturers) who themselves have R&D chefs—each hardwired to work together to develop craveable dishes that provide a “win” for all stakeholders.

The Doritos wing sauce was Buffalo Wild Wings’ maiden voyage with Doritos. The wing chain’s Sept. 29, 2021 press release says, Buffalo Wild Wings is known for its wide variety of sauces but the newest addition to its lineup is the first collaboration with Doritos. Today, Buffalo Wild Wings sports bars nationwide will begin offering the limited-edition Doritos Spicy Sweet Chili Flavored Sauce. This latest sauce innovation combines two game day essentials—chicken wings and Doritos—to create an experience that only Buffalo Wild Wings can provide. Each order comes with a small sample bag of Doritos Spicy Sweet Chili chips too.

In the grand game, dusts, sprinkles and sauces are the ultimate opportunity for R&D collaboration, bringing suppliers and operators together to present big, familiar flavor. That is what R&D chefs do.

Tell me what you think.

Jody

Will “Comfort Food” Ever End?

I wondered if this would happen. I’ve read and written about comfort food for a year—to the point it bores me now as it must bore you. But alas, I was recently asked to write yet another article about comfort food. In the process, I contacted Suzy Badaracco, president of Culinary Tides Inc. to get her take on the topic. She boldly wrote back, “Comfort is absolutely the wrong direction going forward. Way off base for several reasons, but can be put on the right track easily.”

A more tantalizing response I could never receive. I had to talk to her about that. I’ll paraphrase her perspective.

Comfort means familiar. When we’re stressed out for any reason—the early pandemic shut-down, the recession, or anything personal that affects our day-to-day life, we go back to what we are familiar with—reminiscent of better days.

In our current state, we are slowly coming in and out of upheaval. The pandemic shutdown reversed a bit, but then came the delta variant. The recession slowed, but then came inflation.

Meanwhile, when we’re not clinging to comfort, we’re out exploring new experiences and flavors with food. She likens this ebb and flow of recovery with its comfort/exploration swings  to a blender. Exploration speeds up, until the next crisis hits, and then the blender slows down. Political unrest and epic weather storms are other factors that slow it down when once again, we lean in for a spoonful of comfort food.

So, what foodservice operators are doing is developing playful hybrids or mashups of comfort food with a fun twist. That way consumers can have their comfort food while exploring new experiences.

She pointed to Panera. It recently came out with a Mac & Cheese Grilled Cheese Sandwich. That is mac & cheese sprinkled with Parmesan crisps on toasted white miche bread. She also mentions Sonic’s Grilled Cheese Burger LTO it described as “Sonic’s famous grilled cheese sandwich on buttery Texas toast, adding in a perfectly seasoned 100% pure beef patty, mustard, ketchup, and diced onions.”

I liked Suzy’s other illustration. You could compare straight comfort food to wearing/bringing flannel pajamas to the table. Comfortable, yes, but not party material. Instead, take the comfort element and dress it up, perhaps with global flavors and ingredients or healthful ingredients.

Comfort fall beverages typically call on pumpkin spice. But look for ways to make it spicier or fermented or sour. Instead of pumpkin spice, play with apple spice, or better, ginger, which is more extreme on the palate, she said. If you’re planning a comfort-food item that includes milk, use plant-based milk to dress it up in more modern sensibilities.

I took the time to look up some fall beverages, which I’d call seasonal comfort. I found some with “flirty twists.”

Suzy’s suggestion to step away from pumpkin and toward apple spices is showing up in fall beverages right now.

• Apple Crisp Macchiato at Starbucks: Espresso with apple and brown sugar flavors, steamed milk and a caramelized spiced apple drizzle (made with apple juice, apple purée, cinnamon and nutmeg).
• Caramel Apple Crave Aloha Autumn Latte at Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii: Espresso and dairy with caramel and apple butter topped with cinnamon, available hot, cold or blended with ice.
• Caramel Apple Shake at Del Taco: Vanilla shake with caramel and Granny Smith apple purée.

Fun crunchy sweet texture shows up in a few other fall offerings. Examine these:

• Cinnamon Crunch Latte at Panera: Espresso, foamed milk and cinnamon flavored syrup topped with whipped cream and sprinkled with the same Cinnamon Crunch topping that is on Panera’s popular Cinnamon Crunch Bagel.
• Spiked Peppermint Cocoa at Snooze An A.M. Eatery: Snooze hot chocolate, tequila, coffee liqueur, peppermint and vanilla syrups topped with whipped cream & crushed peppermint candies.

Finally, here are a few honorable mentions for making fall beverages fun and exploratory.

• S’mores Shake at Cousins Subs: Vanilla gelato spun with s’mores flavored syrup and topped with whipped cream.
• Caramel Pumpkin Brûlée at Dutch Bros. Coffee: Coffee with spiced pumpkin and salted caramel flavors topped with a soft top (sweetened aerated milk), raw sugar sprinkles and spiced pumpkin sauce.

Tell me what you think.

Jody

Hand-helds in Hawaii

Appetizers, bar bites, tapas, small plates—they all are interchangeable names for little finger foods that work as snacks, catered hors d'oeuvres or sports-gathering nibbles. Operators are coming up with decadent ideas lately.

I remember my first experience with the Hawaiian version of this. I attended a wedding reception in Hawaii, and while the wedding party was predisposed with photography, the bride’s father bid us spectators to the beach reception tent for pupus while we waited for the wedding party to join us and begin dinner. I asked someone. “Did I hear him correctly? Did he just say poo poos?” I had no idea what he was talking about.

Since then, I have become well familiar with the Hawaiian version of tidbits. When in Hawaii, where I live now, pupus are not necessarily tropical, but they are local. For chefs at-large, a Hawaiian pupus theme provides a base from which to draw when trying to devise a trendy theme.

If you’re going to use the term pupu, you likely will have to define it for guests. As you introduce Hawaii into your conversation, it would be best to include some common Hawaiian foods—and this assignment will make you reach away from pineapple and other tropicals. Here are a few common Hawaiian items for the pupus themed appetizer menu:

• Poke, which is most often raw ahi tuna chunks mixed with mayo and onions at a minimum, takes on snackability when featured as nachos or tacos. For example, the poke nacho pupus at Restaurant 604 in Honolulu include spicy ahi poke, won ton chips and sweet Thai chili sauce. The poke tacos at Hula Grill Waikiki combine marinated raw ahi, avocado, maui onion and wasabi aioli.
• Spam musubi is probably the most iconic use of Spam in Hawaii and is a common portable snack or lunch item. It’s simply pressed rice with a slice of Spam atop or between two “patties” of pressed rice, all held together with a nori wrap.
• Filipino lumpia egg rolls may not seem Hawaiian, but with a large Filipino contingency on the islands, it’s as Filipino/Hawaiian as it gets. The fried eggrolls usually are either filled with minced vegetables or banana.

If Hawaiian pupus don’t seem to be your thing, take inspiration from hand-held LTOs across the industry for some snack and appetizer inspiration. Perhaps the key is not to limit your ideas to lunch and dinner fare.

To its permanent menu, Hardee’s just added French Toast Dips consisting of five oblong pieces of powdered-sugar sprinkled French toast and served with a side of syrup.

Even McDonald’s came out with a little snack for an unspecified limited time—Glazed Pull Apart Donut. That is seven small glazed doughnut holes stuck together and “suitable for sharing,” which is what it’s all about.

In the spirit of pulling things apart and sharing, how about Little Caesars’ Crazy Calzony LTO. They call it a pizza-calzone mashup with a “calzone-like crust stuffed with garlic white sauce, mozzarella cheese and julienne pepperoni sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and served with a signature tomato sauce for dipping.

Finger foods suitable as snacks, sides or bar food have plenty of reach, especially if they are items consumers would not make on their own. If not themed, as in Hawaiian pupus, at least aim for craveability. Tell me what you think.

Jody

Uncertain Times Call for Certain Foods

The search for certainty in uncertain times leads to comfort food. It’s something I don’t see diminishing any time soon. During the height of pandemic shelter-in-place restrictions, 72% of consumers surveyed for Datassential’s ONE TABLE initiative said they were eating/cooking more comfort food. According to a OnePoll survey conducted on behalf of Farm Rich, 69% of consumers say they will continue to enjoy the same amount of comfort food post-pandemic.

Of course, comfort food is as individual as there are individuals, but for sure the category speaks to nostalgia and foods that bring back fond memories of happy times—like what you ate and loved as a kid. It’s up to operators to find new angles for such comfort items as mac n cheese, ice cream, fried chicken and beyond.

Some have brilliantly tapped into the word campfire, calling to mind the experience as much as the particular food. Campfire conjures happy memories of vacations and outings, experiences out in nature, spending fun times with family and friends, staying up late, etc. Campfire food is not on the same plane with current health, nutrition and plant-based trends, but rather looks back through the lens of glowing memories. Trends didn’t matter, and they don’t matter now in a comfort food/campfire context. Operators have license to call upon memories as they build summer LTOs around the campfire theme—on any part of the menu.

Right now, Voodoo Doughnut is running a Smoky Campfire Cannolo promotion through Sept. 13, 2021. Catch the s’mores vibe in their description: Cannolo drizzled with chocolate, filled with marshmallow cream cheese and both sides dipped in crushed graham crackers on both ends.

Considering beverages, America’s largest bubble tea chain, Kung Fu Tea, recently partnered with Hershey’s on three drinks, two of which called on s’mores. Its S’mores Slush blended Hershey’s chocolate with ice and marshmallow on bottom, while its S’mores Slush with Coffee included the chocolate with hints of coffee and marshmallow on bottom.

Mooyah Burgers, Fries & Shakes developed a summer Campfire Burger. The company wisely found a way to extend the theme beyond the obvious connection burgers have with campfires by including a hickory smoked “campfire sauce” on the burger. The sauce ingredients are a mystery, but the burger combines beef, bacon, grilled onions, melted cheddar and potato chips on a potato bun.

An ideation session could lead to other interesting menu items. Just add an appropriate descriptor like campfire potato jackets; bonfire burgers and/or dogs; charcoal fire tent vegetables; campfire stove coffee; picnic potatoes or cookies; or campfire kettle hot cocoa. I made those up. Maybe you could add to it.

Comfort food, while taking folks to their happy place, is a tired menu theme. Campfire is a refreshing subtheme. So is carnival, which takes you to cotton candy, carnival corn dogs, fried pickles, funnel cakes and on and on. Summer is the perfect excuse to take the menu outside the regular world of menu trends and allows you and your guests to indulge in indulgence.

Tell me what you think.

Jody

How to Differentiate the Menu Economically

The secret sauce to incremental sales is… well, actually, sauce. While some operators choose to give their tasty, proprietary sauce away, that’s clearly not a profitable choice. Consider Olive Garden. It recently launched Never-Ending Dipping Sauces (marinara, alfredo and five cheese marinara sauces) to go with its unlimited breadsticks. But that sauce comes with a $3.99 price tag. That choice to charge reflects Olive Garden’s election to make a profit. In the chain’s recent Q4 conference call, CEO Gene Lee explained that while Olive Garden’s same-store sales aren’t as robust of late compared to other casual dining restaurants, its restaurant-level margins are 25.5%, which is stellar. He said, “Isn’t our job to try to drive profitable sales growth? And that’s what we’re focused on.” And so, case in point is the never-ending bread-dipping sauce that is not free.

Perhaps Baskin-Robbins thinks the same way. For a June LTO, it offered Sour Berry Slime, a green sweet-and-sour sauce to combine with any ice cream or shake for 99 cents. Adding to the punch for profit, guests can also elect to buy a bottle of the slime sauce to take home for $6.99.

Apart from Profit

Other operators of late are coming up with interesting sauces for purposes of differentiating, adding bold, economical flavor and offering something guests can’t make at home.

Ubiquitous tacos, chicken sandwiches and burgers must stand out in a flavorful way, which can be accomplished with sauces. Chili’s came up with The Chili’s Chicken Sandwich LTO through June that featured a breaded and fried chicken breast… with a proprietary secret sauce described as “thick, sweet and tangy.” I personally think they could have given it an intriguing name.

For inspiration, Mooyah Burgers, Fries & Shakes is running a summer Campfire Burger, and the thing that makes the definition is hickory smoked campfire sauce. What exactly is campfire sauce? Even without spelling it out, the name draws.

Also, through June, Fuzzy’s Taco Shop offered a Spicy Chimi Fajita Taco that featured three sauces in one taco: garlic sauce, pico de gallo and spicy chimichurri sauce. But back to my original point on profitability. When the sauce is part of the dish/sandwich makeup, it’s hard to imagine the logic of charging extra for it. But what about chicken nuggets? They are a staple on many menus. Now Wendy’s is adding broader appeal to its nuggets by offering a new Ghost Pepper Ranch nugget dipping sauce. No extra charge. But why not try offering a unique super flavorful option for a little upcharge? That is a play from the casual and fine-dining playbook. (Think queso for chips.) Sauce is an underexplored menu ploy for increased margins in a profit-shrinking environment. And kudos to Baskin-Robbins for thinking to offer the LTO sauce for sale in a take-home bottle. It’s time to get creative like that.

Tell me what you think.

Jody