Menu Development

Buying into Booze

QSR magazine — Mon, 20 May 2013 10:00:00 +0000

Does the future of fast casual lie in alcohol?

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Freebirds has each found success in offering alcoholic beverages on the menu.

Image Credit:

Freebirds World Burrito

Fast-casual restaurants were once able to claim premium food, modern décor, and all-around upscale service as hallmarks of their category. But with more quick-service chains retooling in those areas to compete for post-recession consumers, fast casuals have been left to search for new ways to differentiate their brands.

For many, that search has turned up something typically better suited to fine- and casual-dining joints: booze.

The New Face of R&D

QSR magazine — Mon, 20 May 2013 04:05:00 +0000

Brands look to fans, social media to develop new products and flavors.

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Baskin-Robbins fans voted online to bring back the brand’s retired Pistachio Almond Fudge flavor.

Image Credit:

Baskin-Robbins

There’s no way around the truth that social media is now a critical tool for limited-service restaurant brands.

It plays an influential role in marketing and building brand identity, and allows concepts to reach out to and interact with fans and followers to build deeper relationships.

But using social media is about more than just advertising products and promotions on Facebook and Twitter.

Today, many brands in the industry are taking it a step further, using social media and crowdsourcing to help create new products and flavors.

Coffee is King

QSR magazine — Fri, 17 May 2013 04:06:00 +0000

Burger King ups its coffee game to compete with other players in the industry.

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Burger King introduced 10 new specialty beverages, including roast and iced coffees and lattes.

Image Credit:

burger king

Forget quick-serve mainstays like burgers and fries. These days, limited-service brands are looking to coffee to beef up business, and Burger King is the latest chain to get in on the action.

Burger King’s customers can now enjoy 10 new specialty drinks, including iced coffees in a variety of flavors, roast coffees with a 100 percent Latin American Arabica custom blend, and lattes in multiple flavors.

The Other Side of Super

QSR magazine — Tue, 14 May 2013 04:06:00 +0000

Whole grains, nuts, and seeds offer a superfood punch to ordinary menus.

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Oatmeal, a whole-grain superfood, is the fastest- growing item on breakfast menus, according to Datassential.

Image Credit:

thinkstock.com

Superfoods have swept the culinary world into a frenzy, enticing consumers with a taste of the exotic and courting them with nutrition and functionality, to the point where restaurants across the country are trying to stake a claim in this fledgling movement.

Quick-service restaurants are keeping in stride, and many have ventured beyond the common açai and goji berry superfruits, as well as the kale super vegetable. Many quick serves are now leveraging a wider spectrum of superfoods, using whole grains, nuts, and seeds in fresh and innovative ways.

Can Quick Serves Save the World?

QSR magazine — Fri, 10 May 2013 10:00:00 +0000

In the second of a two-part series on local sourcing, QSR examines how this process can change the face of limited service—and the food system as a whole.

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Colorado-based Mad Greens has experimented with hydroponics to source hyper-local produce for its stores.

Image Credit:

VertiFresh

No longer is local sourcing just a utopian ideal. It’s a practice coming to life and continually gaining momentum in foodservice, with the number of local ingredients on menus growing by 73 percent over the last four years, according to market research firm Mintel.

But, at its most basic level, it’s a tale of two industries.

The Corner of Innovation

QSR magazine — Thu, 09 May 2013 04:06:00 +0000

Corner Bakery Café’s new menu items push fast-casual boundaries.

Image Caption:

Corner Bakery's Garden Gate Scrambler

Image Credit:

Corner Bakery

In a push to distinguish itself from growing competition in the fast-casual bakery-café space, Corner Bakery Café is doubling down on menu innovation.

The 22-year-old, Dallas-based chain recently leveraged its high-quality kitchen equipment and capabilities, as well as more than 40 fresh fruits and vegetables delivered daily to its stores, to launch a handful of seasonal offerings.

Qdoba's Mango Salad LTO is Back

QSR magazine — Tue, 07 May 2013 16:08:51 +0000

Qdoba Mexican Grill kicks off summer early with the return of its popular, limited-time Mango Salad. The Mango Salad will be available in all restaurants starting May 6, while supplies last.

Qdoba’s Mango Salad features mango salsa, which is packed with a combination of mangos, cucumbers, and red bell peppers, served over a bed of romaine lettuce and drizzled with a cilantro-lime vinaigrette dressing. The fan favorite is a vegetarian entrée option that also pairs well with Qdoba’s signature adobo marinated grilled chicken for those who want to add more protein.

Slimmer Items, Hefty Sales

QSR magazine — Tue, 07 May 2013 04:06:00 +0000

Study shows lower-calorie menu items drive traffic, sales.

Image Credit:

thinkStock.com

The lower the calorie counts in restaurant menu items, the better for business, according to recent research by public policy research organization Hudson Institute.

The report analyzed 21 of the nation’s largest restaurant chains, including quick-service brands like McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and Burger King. It found that restaurants with more low-calorie servings had better sales growth, larger increases in customer traffic, and stronger gains in total food and beverage servings than chains that offered fewer low-calorie options.

Dunkin’ Intros New Coolatta Frozen Beverage Flavors

QSR magazine — Thu, 02 May 2013 15:12:35 +0000

As temperatures start to heat up, Dunkin’ Donuts, America’s all-day, everyday stop for coffee and baked goods, is helping people chill out by introducing three cool new Coolatta frozen beverage flavors: Berry Blast, Raspberry Lime, and Minute Maid Orange.

Wendy's Celebrates National Salad Month

QSR magazine — Thu, 02 May 2013 15:04:04 +0000

May is National Salad Month and no other quick service chain has more reason to celebrate salads than Wendy’s.