MENU
QUICK-SERVICE CHAINS ARE TURBOCHARGING MENU INNOVATION TO DRIVE TRAFFIC. IT’S WORKING.
TACO BELL, WENDY’S AND BLAZE PIZZA ARE PUSHING NEW PRODUCTS OUT OF THE PIPELINE AT A FAST AND FREQUENT CLIP TO EXCITE YOUNGER GUESTS AND BRING MORE OF THEM THROUGH THE DOORS. BY PATRICIA COBE
PHOTO: ENVATO
Nevertheless, Taco Bell is testing or releasing double the number of new menu items and limited-time offers it did a year ago, Restrepo said. And the Irvine, California-based QSR is not alone. Wendy’s is also on an innovation tear, said John Li, VP of Global R&D and Culinary Inno- vation at the Dublin, Ohio-based chain. “Innovation has always been part of what we do, but we’re am- plifying it now,” he said. “There’s much more competition in the seg- ment, and innovation and flavor ex- ploration is so important to Gen Z and Gen Alpha.” Blaze Pizza, on the other hand, hadn’t changed its menu in 10 years. The fast casual that pioneered build-your-own, personal-sized pizza was stuck in pre-pandemic mode, when fast-fired, customized pizzas were popular with lunchtime
office crowds and delivery was not a way of life. What Blaze and its fans learned is that fast-casual pizza doesn’t travel well. But a culinary refresh also was necessary. The 330-unit Blaze start- ed overhauling its menu earlier this year, first updating its signature piz- zas, and in total, popping 14 new items out of its pipeline between June and August. Each of these chains has a unique innovation philosophy. But as Li said, the competition has in- tensified in quick-service along with customer expectations—especially among younger generations. At the Top 500 QSRs, new menu launches and LTOs more than doubled be- tween 2022 and 2023, according to Restaurant Business sister compa- ny, Technomic, and they didn’t slow down in 2024.
I n the past year, Taco Bell’s culi- nary team brainstormed about 2,500 ideas to potentially land on the menu. “Our innovation funnel is al- ways open and ideas can come from anywhere—marketers, chefs, fran- chisees, dishwashers, customers— innovation is part of the Taco Bell culture,” said Luis Restrepo, VP of Product Innovation for the Mexican fast-food chain. As the funnel narrows, only about 40 of those items make it through to the testing stage; others are dis- carded or pushed back to the top of the funnel for future consideration.
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RESTAURANT BUSINESS OCTOBER 2024
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