LAUNCH A NEW CATEGORY: CROSS-UTILIZE INGREDIENTS TO SNAG SNACKERS Bojangles, after noticing people mak- ing their own snack items from existing menu items, created Bo’s Bird Dogs: a regular chicken tender with sauce on a new smaller bun, “and now they have a whole new menu category,” Cobe said. “People really like snacking,” Maze said. “Auntie Anne’s is just killing it right now because people look at the price point on these items and it’s re- ally easy thing for them to buy, and it’s recession-proof. People see it as a low- cost way to treat themselves. Snacking is a bigger daypart all the time. You can take a chicken tender and put it in a wrap.” beverage front is a source of high-prof- it sales.” Other examples include boba tea and lavender flavor, which has been second only to pumpkin-spice for Star- bucks sales.
Photo Courtesy of Bojangles
SHAREABLES SELL: LOW COST, HIGH-IMPACT PRESENTATIONS “First Watch opened a new restaurant in Nashville, which is very popular for bachelorette parties, so they decided to do a brunch board with pancakes and different toppings, and there’s a more savory one with biscuits, eggs and breakfast meats,” Cobe said. “This doesn’t have a high cost–pancakes don’t cost that much–and the presentation is so good that you can charge more be- cause shareables are so on-trend right now.” On the topic of brunch, Maze agreed that “what’s going on in that space is really interesting…brunch is an incredibly popular gathering for friends.”
value. It’s a really difficult balancing act. McDonald’s is introducing a new value meal with low-cost items. To customers it’s a really good perception of value when you offer these bundled deals. Customers have to believe what they’re getting is worth the money.”
Photo Courtesy of Farmer Boys
Photo Courtesy of The Big Biscuit
CREATE A SIGNATURE SAUCE AND USE IT ACROSS THE MENU “Farmer Boys uses the same sauce across the menu,” Cobe said. “You don’t have to limit it; you can repurpose it. Not just on a chicken sandwich, but as a dip for fries and zucchini sticks (pictured). Sauces continue to multi- ply on menus. Technomic found 34% of diners choose a restaurant because of their sauce. And 41% are tempted to order a menu. You can even use plain ranch dressing–which everyone loves– and make it spicier or citrusy, and you have a signature sauce.” Maze said he’s a fan of Raising Cains’ sauce: “That sauce is phenom- enal; you can use it for fries, tenders. And Chick-fil-A is another one. You can take that chicken sandwich and make it a spicy chicken sandwich. You should always be thinking sauce right now if you’re selling food. Your customers are thinking about sauce all the time.”
INNOVATE WITH BEVERAGES “I think beverages are a really good po- tential sales engine and what’s going on with beverages is absolutely fasci- nating. The idea you can survive with a soda fountain of just eight choices is gone.” Cobe introduced the trend of dirty sodas, which are regular sodas with something mixed in, like milk (any kind, but often coconut) or just oth- er flavors. Even though “dirty sodas” sound gross, they’re really popular,” she said. “You can upcharge for it be- cause it looks like a fancier drink and it’s trending on social media right now. You could also just add watermelon juice to lemonade and charge a dollar or two more. Energy drinks also continue to be popular, Maze pointed out, going by the example of kids needing a pick- me-up after school. “Dutch Bros. Gets a lot of sales in the afternoon,” he said. “The innovation we’re seeing on the
Photo Courtesy of Caribou Coffee
COMBO DEALS: SAMPLING ENCOURAGES RETURN VISITS “Value is geared toward getting people in the door,” Maze said. “You essen- tially encourage customers to order more at a price point that will get them in the door. Ever since Subway’s 5-dol- lar footlong campaign more than a de- cade ago, that seems to be the magic number. It’s getting harder and harder to do; you have to make sure you can still get money and give customers
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