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
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