SheeFood

Cookies and Candy to the Holiday Rescue

As November gives way to December, sweet LTO specials transition from pumpkin to peppermint. Thank God. (Bye bye Pumpkin. Please don’t come back.) And so, already we’re seeing our fair share of peppermint candy bits, like in Dutch Bros.’ Candy Cane Mocha and Next Level Burger’s Organic Candy Cane Shake.

But more broadly, I find it interesting that the last season of the calendar year closes with a grand finale of sugary candy and cookies infused into everything. It’s as if the creative-license gates have opened for R&D chefs to deliver a spectacular end to the year—before January New Year’s resolutions wipe the sweet slate clean and brussels sprouts and kale take back the spotlight.

Running parallel, manufacturers are supporting this trend with appropriate syrups, making cookie and candy flavoring a simple proposition. For example, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf just launched a Gingerbread Cookie Latte made with Espresso, steamed milk and gingerbread cookie flavor. How simple is that? Through the winter, Sonic offers Sparking Sugar Cookie Dr. Pepper. The cookie concoction combines Dr. Pepper, caramel soda mixed with sugar cookie syrup and sweet cream. And doesn’t Toffee Crunch Latte with Mac Milk sound lavishly indulgent? The Human Bean is offering it, and it’s simply Espresso with hazelnut and English toffee flavors topped with frothed macadamia nut milk.

Syrup aside, there’s plenty of opportunity to fold in crushed cookies before January comes demanding a course correction. IHOP’s holiday French Toast is stuffed with cookie butter and topped with vanilla sauce and cookie crumbles. Jack in the Box has sprinkled Biscoff cookies around its menu—using cute names. There’s the Noggy or Nice Biscoff Shake—simply a vanilla shake blended with eggnog flavor and Biscoff cookie crumbles finished with whipped topping. But why stop there? It also has Noggy or Nice Biscoff Sweet Cream Iced Coffee. Coffee gets a sugar rush with sweetened cream and eggnog flavors over ice topped with whipped topping and Biscoff cookie crumbles. The crumbles also appear in the Biscoff Donut Holes, which is an order of three fried dough balls tossed in the crumbles.

And what about shortbread cookies during the holidays? Shake Shack has that covered with its Christmas Cookie Shake. You have a sugar cookie flavored frozen custard shake topped with whipped cream, crumbled shortbread cookies and holiday sprinkles.

These are all nice. But there are cookie and candy opportunities beyond beverages and dessert. Here are some ideas to experiment with:

1. How about a Caesar salad with nut brittle pieces sprinkled on top?
2. You could play around with shortbread breadcrumb stuffed mushrooms. Instead of coating the mushrooms with breadcrumbs, use finely crushed shortbread. Stuff the shrooms with such savory items as garlic, Parmesan and herbs.
3. Instead of a cheese and cracker plate, how about pairing cheese and cookies? For example, blue cheese paired with ginger snaps; brie with almond cookies or simple butter cookies; sharp cheddar with oatmeal cookies or cookies with a hint of apple or pear. Elevate it with a small drizzle of honey or some nuts on top of the cheese.

So let’s toast to a season filled with delicious twists of cookies and candy—enjoy them now, because January’s greens are just around the corner!

Jody

Get Audacious with Your LTOs

I was tickled to walk into Burger King the other day looking for lunch specials and finding the Wednesday’s Whopper with the expected flame-grilled burger and accoutrements all between a purple bun with black sesame seeds. Just because of the novelty, my husband ordered it.

You would wish all your LTOs would elicit such googly eyed responses. Burger King happened to be tying in with Halloween and Amazon MGM Studios’ The Addams Family movie. But it begs the question, what other ways can you create sensational LTOs that generate buzz (free marketing), make a memorable experience, distinguish you from the competition and drive urgency to purchase?

Of course, you have to stay true to your brand (You sell pizza? Breakfast only? You’re a sandwich shop?) You also have to make it profitable, and like Burger King, you might be able to leverage cross promotions and partnerships. But I would say that one of the most important considerations is catering to your current or targeted audience. For example, if you want more GenZ customers (ages 12-27), make your epic LTO appeal to their love for creativity, social media experiences and adventurous tastes. So you might go with something like cereal-crusted chicken tenders, or spicy ramen pizza.

If Millennials are your focus (ages 28-43), who often have children at home, aim to balance fun for kids with sophistication that appeals to adults. Imagine the buzz created by cheeseburger-stuffed pretzel bites or Sriracha honey fried chicken & waffle cones. But don’t take my word for it. Admire these recent outrageous LTOs.

Jimmy John’s developed The Vito Picklewich: They slice a giant kosher dill pickle in half lengthwise and fill it with salami, capocollo, provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion and oil and vinegar. There’s also a Turkey Picklewich.

TooJay’s Deli is putting Thanksgiving between two slices of whole wheat toast for its Turkey Cranberry Griller. You’ll find sliced turkey, cranberry sauce, cornbread stuffing and gravy—with a side of mashed potatoes and gravy.  

Chip City Cookies is going outrageous with its Strawberry Poppable Pop-Tarts Cookie. It’s a vanilla sugar cookie filled with raspberry jam and topped with vanilla icing. Then comes the explosion. Atop is rainbow-colored nonpareils and Pop-Tarts Crunch Poppers.

Including popular salty snacks on or in a menu item has been going on for years, but I’m noticing it pick up, maybe because the likes of Cheez-Its, Doritos and Fritos are scouting foodservice partnerships. Of note, the Cheez-It Crunchwrap was said to be Taco Bell’s most popular test item of 2022. One thing is for certain, when operators and these global snack giants put their R&D heads together, they startle and delight.

But you don’t have to enter into an elaborate partnership with a salty snack company. Wing Snob just ran a Cheetos Loaded Fries special. That was fries topped with choice of regular or Flamin’ Hot Cheetos snacks and then topped with chicken and cheese sauce.

Meanwhile, Dillas Quesadillas ran a Frito Pie Dilla special, which was quesadillas stuffed with Chili Cheese Fritos, seasoned ground beef, hatch chili queso and red onions.

No doubt, you could grab attention by topping pizza with a salty snack. Cicis Pizza did something different and went “breakfast” by using a grocery brand. It launched a Chicken and Eggo Waffles Pizza, which topped a pizza with Eggo waffles, fried chicken and maple syrup.

Unlock unimaginable possibilities and ignite a buzz that brings in unexpected new and repeat business. Above all, guests crave value and a memorable experience—deliver both, and you’re destined for success.

Jody Shee

On Point with Apples

Glancing at fall limited-time menus, whether they feature beverages, salads, entrees or desserts, you’ll likely find apples in a starring role. This LTO choice is not only seasonally appropriate but also economically savvy, as apples are freshest, most abundant and least expensive this time of year.

But the mere word apple in the seasonal special description (and even the dish name) is as about as exciting as lettuce salad. Eyes pass right over that in search of something that sounds appetizing. But beyond boring the guest, if you use the generic term in the description, you can only charge a generic price. Aim to appeal to guests looking for quality and specificity in their food choices, and charge appropriately for that.

Caribou Coffee’s list of fall beverages features six new Honeycrisp Apple swigs combining Honeycrisp apple puree with the likes of caramel, espresso, coffee, nitro cold brew coffee and steamed milk/oat milk. Each uses Honeycrisp apple in the name. Those beverages simply would not sparkle if the coffee chain elected to simplify with generic apple.

You can also invoke the apple variety in syrups used in fall beverages like Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii does with its Caramel Apple Mana, which is an iced energy drink with caramel and Granny Smith apple syrups.

In the menu description for its Roasted Apple and Butternut Squash Salad, Brazilian steakhouse chain Fogo de Chão specifies its varietal: Roasted butternut squash and Fuji apples drizzled with honey and topped with lime zest.

By now, Fuji apples have earned a glowing reputation for their sweetness, crisp texture and long shelf life, which makes them durable and versatile across the menu. Nekter Juice Bar’s fall LTO (coinciding with the reality TV show The Golden Bachelorette) features Spiced Golden Apple Smoothie and Spiced Golden Apple Bowl. The smoothie blends cashew milk with Fuji apples, pumpkin spice, vanilla protein, a turmeric-cashew drizzle and agave syrup.

Homing in on a specific apple variety to feature is about more than the supply source, seasonality and pricing. From an R&D perspective, it’s very much about flavor, of course. But it’s equally about marketing. Perhaps there’s no other commodity that has invested as much into launching and naming varieties as the apple industry—especially Washington, New York and Michigan—the top apple-growing states.

Consider using some of the other “it” apples like Jazz, Cosmic Crisp, SnapDragon and Rave to add excitement to your menu and storytelling opportunities for your web presence, social media or table-side service. Apple commodity boards can be a valuable resource in this area.

Whether it’s a Honeycrisp latte or a Fuji apple salad, specifying the variety is about creating value that customers are willing to pay for. After all, a well-named apple makes for a more memorable dish and a more profitable one.

Jody Shee

Score Big with Touchdown Treats

When it comes to packing a restaurant to build profits, game-day limited time offers (LTOs) are a secret playbook. If your spot has a TV, you’re already in the game. Chicken wings, sliders and nacho platters are just the beginning of the endless possibilities. A well-crafted selection of shareables can actually turn any segment into the top sports-party pick for fans gathering to cheer, chow down and enjoy the game—whether they’re stopping by, driving through or getting it delivered.

What’s unique about game-day specials is that they don’t have to involve a meal. Game-day LTOs fit the snacking occasion that operators are taking a good look at. Appetizers, small plates or platters work perfectly.

With a plethora of TV screens, Dave & Buster’s is well suited to draw game-day crowds, so on its new and improved menu, it has added a four-to-six serving Game Day Grub Sampler Board. It includes pretzel dogs, smashed burger sliders and bone-in wings along with celery sticks and dips.

No TV? No problem. Last winter Taco Bell got in on the action with the Ultimate Game Day Box that included eight wings, four tacos and one traditional Mexican Pizza for a two-week LTO. In case you’re wondering how Taco Bell and chicken wings go together, part of the chain’s strategy going through 2024 is to add more chicken to the menu. (Thus, it has launched a Cantina Chicken Menu.)

The two keys to success, as you might guess, are in what you name your special, and that whatever it includes had better be to die for. For nearly a month last winter, Mod Pizza (recently acquired by Elite Restaurant Group) ran a “Tailgate Trio” LTO of three pizzas inspired by popular game-day appetizers. There was the Buffalo Chicken Pizza; Bacon Jalapeno Popper Pizza; and Spinach Artichoke Dip Pizza. The fast casual pizza chain stated “The Tailgate Trio are some of the most craveable pizzas we’ve ever developed and feature all the comforts and bold flavors of a football party or tailgate.”

If you partner with another brand for a game-day promotion, you can double the marketing potential. Starting on Aug. 23 for a limited time, Krispy Kreme tied in with Dr. Pepper for what they call a Krispy Kreme x Dr Pepper Kickoff Collection. For the occasion, Krispy Kreme developed a new doughnut “that delivers the refreshing experience of the iconic 23 original flavors of Dr Pepper.” So that one is a glazed doughnut piped with Dr Pepper flavored frosting covered in sprinkles and topped with a white chocolate Dr Pepper logo. The other two doughnuts in the collection feature football décor. One is a glazed doughnut dipped in green icing (think football field) and topped with sprinkles and a yellow buttercream flavored goal post. The third doughnut is an unglazed doughnut filled with white “kreme” and dipped in chocolate icing and decorated like a football. That probably takes the cake for the best over the goal post effort.

Without a doubt, game-day or tailgate specials can make an energetic profitable impact on an operator’s bottom line. Don’t let everyone else be in charge of the fun.

Jody

Crunch it and Run it

Crunch time isn’t just for deadlines—it’s the crispy culinary equivalent of a headline. Elsewise we wouldn’t still be witnessing crispy chicken sandwich rivalries. Operators have a dish-development thought process to reckon with. Does the crackling of crispy lead the charge, or do the on-hand ingredients, equipment and preparations call the LTO shots? If you choose to dive into crunch, what are the secrets behind crafting these dishes that aren’t just eaten, but heard—loud and clear.

First, assume that texture is as important as flavor. So, if you have a “cushiony” signature or comfort dish that you dare not take off the menu, then consider tweaking the dish to crispy. Take mac and cheese. Some have formed it into a patty or ball that withstands a panko coating for frying purposes to get that coveted texture. Tampa-Florida based Glory Days Grill has done that with its Mac ‘N Cheese Bites on the hand-held section of the menu. But also consider a way to get crispy in the menu title by combining ingredients, like Crispy Chicken Mac & Cheese.

Ubiquitous burgers get a crunchy upgrade by merely opening a bag of chips. Bobby Flay, who expertly aims to please, has registered the name Crunchburger made iconic with mere potato chips on top. He also has the Bacon Crunchburger at Bobby’s Burger Palace. Meanwhile, Farmer Boys turned to crispy onion straws to top its BBQ Crunch Cheeseburger Box LTO this summer. Perkins recently permanently added a Bacon Avocado Crunch Double Burger to the menu that tops a patty with bacon and potato tots.

Sometimes, you don’t need to change a dish at all to boost its crispy value. How about Red Lobster’s Wild-Caught Crunch-Fried Flounder Sandwich, also served fish and chips style? Then there’s Reno, Nevada, Pizza Guys’ Crunchy Club Pizza. The only crunchy thing going for this pizza is the thin crust. There’s an epiphany. Any thin-crust pizza could carry the crunchy descriptor.

Here’s a novel idea. Crazy Bowls & Wraps tested what it called Breakfast Crunch. Now imagine this: scrambled eggs, choice of protein, choice of salsa, a flour tortilla, cheddar cheese, bean puree and then a tostada shell. I saw a Facebook photo of this, and it wasn’t apparent to me how they incorporated the tostada shell. I imagined it would be used on bottom, making the finished product a flat affair. But it wasn’t. They may have broken the shell in two and placed both halves in the middle to get a double crunch effect. Have yourself a look here and see what you think.

But on the topic of breakfast, I’d like to give a shout out to The Original Pancake House for the Crispy-Crunchy French Toast on the menu since 2010. The Portland, Oregon-based breakfast eatery dips its French toast in corn flakes and grills it. It’s served topped with sliced bananas, whipped cream and dusted with powdered sugar. Dipping items in any number of cereals opens a whole new realm of crunchy possibilities that wouldn’t even have to be breakfast centric. Those mac & cheese bites we looked at earlier could be coated in crushed Chex or cornflakes. So could fish filets or chicken tenders.

So, while you get your creative juices flowing, consider a crunchy theme, either in the making or renaming of what already qualifies. Give your guests the expectation of a memorable, multisensory experience.

Jody Shee

Pretzels Pop with Opportunity

Pretzels are sure having their moment, aren’t they? I’m seeing them pop up on menus in various forms and fashions to fill what I think are two roles: nostalgic comfort food and easy snack sales. But they require some refreshing from the crunchy sticks and looped knots I grew up with. I remember one pretzel moment from more than 55 years ago. My siblings and I sat around the kitchen table nibbling on pretzels and bologna sandwiches when my mother asked us a deep question. “What are you kids living for?” I was probably all of 10 years old. I panicked, having never given life’s purpose a single thought. Fortunately, she came up with her personal answer to that question, and I eagerly claimed it as my obvious purpose. Crunch. That, my friends, is nostalgia!

In the snacking department, you can surely look to the grab-and-go fresh food section of c-stores for ideas. Kwik Trip offers soft Garlic Parmesan Pretzel Sticks. Sheetz sells soft Pretzel Nuggets with Honey Mustard. Here’s a creative one. Gas patrons at Cumberland Farms c-stores can run in and grab soft shell Pizza Stuffed Pretzels.

Of course, anyone who frequents Auntie Anne’s wouldn’t think that is so unique. The pretzel chain that operates in such snack-magnets as malls, airports, military bases and universities most recently added Pepperoni Pretzel Nuggets to the lineup, which is bite-size pizza with pretzel dough—each topped with a pepperoni slice and a three-cheese blend.

For its part, Subway got smart, and rather than reinvent the pretzel for its new Sidekicks menu, it partnered with Auntie Anne’s and includes the pretzel chain’s Footlong Pretzels on its snack menu.

But snacking isn’t the only opportunity to cash in on pretzel popularity. Chick-fil-A is testing a Pretzel Cheddar Club Sandwich for a limited time at a few restaurants in Raleigh, North Carolina. Meanwhile, Culvers has brought back its Pretzel Haus Pub Burger through August, which is a beef patty, pickled onions, bacon, cheddar cheese and cheese sauce on a pretzel bun. Occasionally, Little Caesars brings in its Pretzel Crust Pizza LTO.

If this puts you in the mood to find ways to incorporate positive nostalgia into an LTO, then you can let your corporate test kitchen pretzel imagination run wild.

For breakfast it can be as simple as chopping pretzels into pieces and concocting a Pretzel and Cheese Omelet. It adds crunch, a great name and a nice flavor contrast. You could easily do Pretzel Pancakes by chopping up soft pretzels into small bits and folding them into pancake batter for an interesting texture and a salty kick. What kind of sauce or syrup would go with that? For those using pretzel buns for burgers or sandwiches, how about cross utilizing those buns and making Pretzel French Toast. Soak pretzel buns in an egg and milk mixture, then fry and serve with maple syrup and a sprinkle of powdered sugar for a sweet and salty breakfast LTO.

For the dessert menu, I’ve long advocated for chocolate anything. If you could only have one item on the dessert menu, let it be chocolate. I’m talking Chocolate Pretzel Lava Cake. Work up a pretzel-infused crust for that thing. Of course, finish it with a salted caramel drizzle.

Could you picture doing a Chocolate Pretzel Mousse Tower in which each layer (between crispy pretzel wafers) features a different type of chocolate—dark, milk and white?

You can play to pretzel comfort and nostalgia across the menu. Make that your purpose for a limited time.

Jody

Hybrid Creations Energize the Menu

I’ve noticed a few super creative menu-mashup LTOs lately. It’s time to revisit this engaging in-your-face seasonal spectacular. Anything that draws a doubletake is also a good social media buzz generator.

My favorite recent mashup is from Smokey Bones. It’s a House-Smoked Brisket Sundae served in stemware. Say what?! They describe it as Texas-style smoked brisket over mashed potatoes and roasted corn and garnished with red wine sauce, fried onion tanglers and scallions. While the chain is at it, it also has a BBQ Pork Sundae, which is mac & cheese layered with pulled pork, jalapeno cheddar sausage and bacon coleslaw topped with scallions and Carolina BBQ sauce. When you invoke a dessert theme on an entrée, you could wind up with a swing and a miss. So it must be craveable. This looks to be. On the other hand, it could be something that brings guests in the door where you could upsell them.

I also see two examples that turn breakfast carbs into sandwiches. IHOP has a Magnificent French Toast Sandwich, which is folded egg, sausage patty, hash browns, American cheese and chipotle mayo on French toast. Meanwhile, Walk-On’s Sports Bisteaux offers a Beignet Cheeseburger Slider.

Beverages are surely a low entry point for a mashup. Dutch Bros is running a Churro Freeze LTO, which is coffee blended with ice and caramel and garnished with a cinnamon sugar soft top (sweetened aerated milk) and churro bits.

If breakfast is one of your slow times, these LTO breakfast-dessert hookups might be what you need to drive traffic and sales.

1. Cinnamon Roll Pancakes: Combine the comfort of pancakes with the flavors of a cinnamon roll. Prepare pancake batter and swirl in a mixture of cinnamon, brown sugar, and butter before cooking. Top with a creamy cream cheese glaze instead of traditional syrup.
2. Cheesecake Stuffed French Toast: Elevate French toast by stuffing thick slices of bread with a sweet cheesecake filling. Dip in egg mixture, cook until golden and serve with a berry compote.
3. Apple Pie Oatmeal: Mix the nostalgic taste of apple pie with the wholesomeness of oatmeal. Cook steel-cut oats with diced apples, cinnamon, and nutmeg, topping with a crumble of oats, butter, and brown sugar baked until crispy.
4. Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding: Use buttery croissants as the base for a luxurious bread pudding, incorporating dark chocolate chunks and a vanilla custard. Bake until the chocolate melts into gooey pockets and serve warm with a dollop of whipped cream.
5. Tiramisu Crepes: Fill delicate crepes with a mascarpone espresso mixture, mimicking the classic flavors of tiramisu. Dust with cocoa powder and serve with a drizzle of coffee-infused syrup for an indulgent breakfast treat.

If you’re trying to find late morning or afternoon snacking mashup LTO ideas, consider these two:

1. Sweet Potato Donut Holes: Fry sweet potato donut holes until golden and toss them in a cinnamon-sugar mix. Serve with a side of whipped cream or a small scoop of vanilla ice cream for dipping. The combination of the earthy sweet potatoes with the sugary coating offers a delightful snack that’s not too heavy.
2. Matcha Popcorn Balls: Create eye catching popcorn balls bound with a matcha-infused marshmallow mixture. This not only adds a vibrant green color but also a subtle tea flavor that complements the sweetness of the marshmallow.

Mashup LTOs can energize your menu, draw customer interest and showcase your operation’s on-trend creative flair.

Jody

Keep the “C” in Color

Today’s menu inspiration is brought to you by “C” for “Color.” It’s what I’ve noticed most about recent innovative limited time offers and new menu items in general. Using color, you can hit on all the culinary trends your operation and your guests crave. I’ll show you.

Cyclical considerations. There’s nothing like the revolving seasons to display the colors that strike that “gotta have it now” urge. Spring exudes light pastels like pink, sky blue, mint green, yellow and lavender alongside bolder colors like marigold orange. In fact, in April, Marigold Dreamsicle was the flavor of the month at Baskin-Robbins. That was a mix of vanilla bean ice cream and marigold ice cream made with real marigold blossoms, along with an orange swirl.

Crafted from nature: As in Baskin-Robbins’ example, nowadays, if you’re going to make a bold colorful statement, you likely won’t be using food coloring. That’s so “last century.” The main color is going to have to come from nature, from whence comes our food. If you’re making white coconut cupcakes and you want red/pink frosting, turn to pomegranate juice. Not only does the color pop, you’ve added an interesting call-out second flavor to name the cupcake. For lemon yellow cupcakes—make a color-complimenting purple/blue frosting with pureed blueberries blended with cream cheese. Challenge yourself by eliminating food coloring from the kitchen.

Cultural moorings: How about global cuisines with color? In that case, seasonality takes a back seat to the ingredients common around the globe. I can think of no better example than ube, the purple yam that is native to the Philippines and thus is common in Filipino cuisine. Fast food Filipino chain Jollibee is in the middle of an extended Ube Pie LTO, which is a flaky hand pie filled with the vibrant purple filling. The mashed purple yam certainly works in fusion applications. I recently ordered an Ube Cannoli dessert of three purple puree filled cannoli’s at Tidepools restaurant at the Grand Hyatt in Poipu, Kauai.

Dragon fruit is the current darling of color showing up in pink/red beverages to exude the tropics. In a trio of three Aqua Frescas at a California test location, Taco Bell included dragon fruit berry, a green tea-based drink with pieces of dragon fruit for color and flavoring. On a more widespread basis, the chain ran a Dragon Fruit Freeze LTO—a slush drink with dragon berry fruit flavor and color.

Clean consumption: For the health and sustainable conscious, colorful plant-based edibles provide guilt-free pleasures. Consider a Golden Turmeric Smoothie. Give it a sunny yellow hue with turmeric, banana and mango. It’s a healthy offering with a springy color. Or perhaps offer bright orange fresh-pressed carrot ginger juice with sweet carrots and spicy ginger, ideal for a morning or midday energizer.

Creative choreography: Color, and especially spring colors, are sexy and photogenic. Your social media-engaged guests become your brand ambassadors. Who could resist snapping a selfie holding an edible flower gelato—a mix of vanilla gelato with swirls of colorful edible flower petals like calendula (orange), cornflower (blue) and rose (pink)? Or, if that sounds too difficult to source, you might do like Dave & Buster’s and crack open a box of Froot Loops. The chain recently added Cereal Cake: Cereal-flavored cake topped with marshmallow cream icing and cotton candy, surrounded by sweet vanilla cream sauce and Jumbo Froot Loops cereal. Hopefully guests can refrain from diving into it until they’ve taken and posted a proper photo of it!

No matter if you aim for seasonal, natural, indulgent, global or artistic LTO fare, do it in living color to grab maximum attention.

Jody Shee

Boba, Baby!

If you’re looking for a beverage LTO opportunity or an interesting platform to expand your reach, you’ll want to take a serious look at bubbles. As in boba beverages. I can think of 10 good reasons why tapioca pearls have legs and why now is the time to look into them.

First: You can use bubble tea to draw more of the coveted Gen Z (ages 14-27). Some 23% of Gen Z have purchased bubble tea from a foodservice location in the past three months, according to the survey conducted for Mintel’s Foodservice Coffee and Tea, US—2023 report. That is significantly higher than the other generations.

Second: While boba tea is still emerging, it will soon become ubiquitous across all demographics considering that you can now find endcaps of boba tea kits at Costco!

Third: Bubble tea is absolutely viewed as a snack. According to Mintel’s consumer survey, 74% of those who drink bubble tea say they typically consume it in the afternoon, which is its highest timeframe and operators’ most-coveted daypart expansion.

Fourth: Bubble tea is experiential. Other adjectives could include fun, playful and unique. This could be the reason why it appeals to the younger generation. Mintel’s report highlights that almost 40% of Gen Z consumers would be motivated to order coffee/tea from foodservice establishments if they offer unique drinks on the menu.

Fifth: The fun, playful and aesthetically pleasing quality of boba drinks places them in the center of customer social media posts, which turns everyone into an influencer for your brand.

Sixth: Boba tea can help you check the “global cuisine” box. It was founded in Taiwan during the 1980s and is popular among Asians, which is notably obvious when you visit a bubble tea-centric operation in a college town.

Seventh: Tapioca boba/bubbles are adaptable. Though milk tea is the original host for the chewy pearls, tea is not mandatory. In February 2024, Del Taco ran an interesting series of three LTO beverages called Poppers. The Strawberry Lemonade Poppers mixed the boba pearls with strawberries and Minute Maid Zero Sugar Lemonade over ice. Another version mixed boba pearls and real strawberries with Sprite over ice. And interestingly, the third one combined boba pearls with real strawberries layered in a vanilla shake.

Eighth: Any foodservice concept’s menu can benefit from an infusion of bubbles. I mentioned Del Taco above. Last summer, Jack in the Box tested a trio of boba-enhanced beverages: milk tea, iced coffee and a vanilla shake. I’m waiting for a big convenience store chain to lay claim to boba beverages. I did notice that Quik Trip in India has a line of four bubble beverages.

Ninth: Bubble beverages are a perfect expansion option for the fast casual segment with its playbook of customized, “pick your own ingredients” offerings.

Tenth: Bubble chains are emerging. They are their own concept, and the more that pop up, the bigger splash they will make in their markets. To name a few, there’s Gong Cha, Uncle Sharkii Poke Bar (bubble tea is as much a part of the concept as Hawaiian poke) and Krak Boba. But there are more, and plenty of independents.

It just seems like a no-brainer to make the beverage menu the place to launch some interesting LTOs. Boba covers a lot of bases and could be an easy way to add some spark while boosting the bottom line.

Jody Shee