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