Menu development

Just four months after starting as brand president at Perkins, Toni Ronayne is leading the company into a new era. 

In late June 2024, the casual chain changed its name, store designs and menu offerings — an ambitious set of initiatives that reflects not only the company’s history and legacy, but also a modern approach to dining aesthetics and current customer needs. 

“As part of my new appointment, it was an opportunity for me to come in and think about how we could evolve and grow the brand in new ways,” Ronayne said in an interview. “It was a no-brainer for me to join the company because there was such a great foundation of service and history and an incredible experience that has been consistent across the country.” 

Perkins joins a growing list of brands undergoing menu overhauls and updated strategic plans in 2024 to streamline operations, improve the guest and employee experience and grow sales and traffic. Portillo’s, El Pollo Loco and Shake Shack are focusing on improving operations, while chains like Panera and Cracker Barrel are redoing their menus to bring back diners amid a slowing traffic environment. 

A new name and more efficient store design

This isn’t the first time the chain has changed its name. It started out as Perkins Pancake House in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1958. It became Perkins Cake and Steak in 1969 and was renamed shortly after to Perkins Restaurant and Bakery, according to the company’s website. Its new name, Perkins American Food Company, seeks to embody that decades-long history and is being showcased with new interior signage.

The company spent the past year doing consumer research and spent the last quarter and a half developing the Perkins American brand as its new identity, Ronayne said.

“What we heard from our guests was that they’re looking for an experience that takes you back, but at the same time, moves you forward,” Ronayne said. “We’re known for great service, great quality and value, but there was an opportunity for us to think about how we could take something so classic, so historic and evolve it in a way that felt really fresh and modern.” 

With its two new store concepts, Perkins has joined the trend of chains deploying smaller restaurant designs. The first concept, which it calls its “mainline aesthetic,” will be 3,000 to 3,500 square feet, about half the size of its current traditional 6,000- to 6,500-square-foot restaurant. That design will incorporate into stores more of Perkins’ green color that appears in its signage. 

“It’s a different green, so a little bit fresher, a little bit more modern,” Ronayne said. 

The design incorporates a wall of artwork that showcases Perkins' past, like old signs, advertisements and store photographs. The full-service concept will be available to develop as a standalone or inline location, she said. 

Perkins is expanding its bakery at the front of the house to emphasize that part of its identity. It will also add new bakery items to its menu, she said.

Other features of the new design include a smaller kitchen, streamlined back-of-house operations and smaller seating and square footage in the dining room, Ronayne said.

The first buildout of the mainline concept will open this year in Orlando, Florida, and will be a company-owned location. It is too soon to estimate the cost savings of the new concepts, Ronayne said. 

Perkins is also working on a small 1,000- to 1,500-square-foot-unit that will function more like a fast casual restaurant, Ronayne said. The first location will open in Ontario, Canada, in a small town that’s unable to support a traditional restaurant. 

“Express will allow us to expand internationally and start to look at non-traditional business [like] colleges, universities, airports, any sort of transient food courts,” Ronayne said.

While other casual chains, like IHOP, have largely shuttered their experimental fast casual concepts, Ronayne said she thinks Perkins has the right formula in place for the smaller units to succeed. 

“I think what I’ve seen in the marketplace is probably too far of a departure [from] the original brand and that’s not what we’re doing here,” Ronayne said.  “We want to make sure Perkins Express feels like a Perkins.”

That means offering omelets and baked goods and other “tried and true best sellers,” she said. Everything will be made in-house just like a regular Perkins. 

“While this Perkins Express is going to offer that element of convenience… we’re certainly not getting away from family dining in terms of the service and the experience those guests are going to have,” Ronayne said.

Franchisees excited for the brand changes

Franchisees have been receptive to the changes at the chain, especially the smaller store footprints, Ronayne said. 

“Some of our largest franchisees, certainly as they look at their portfolios, we’ve opened up the opportunity for them to expand in towns that, frankly, they weren’t able to before,” Ronayne said. “I think they’re excited about the chance to be able to grow and expand their own portfolios.” 

Franchisees are interested not just in opening restaurants with the new design, but also seeing what the renovation strategy will look like. 

“I had franchisees … say to me, ‘I want to change my sign tomorrow. How can we make that happen?’” Ronayne said. 

A new franchise group that committed to 10 units in California plans to do a mix of Express and mainline locations, Ronayne said. About 50% of franchisees are really interested in developing the Express units, particularly internationally. The chain recently signed a three-restaurant international deal for Express locations. 

“There’s an opportunity for us to double down … and grow very, very quickly.,” Ronayne said. 

Perkins’ menu remake emphasizes dinner  

In an effort to boost its dinner offering, Perkins has updated its burger menu with what it calls its Decked Out Double platform, which launched July 2. There are four different flavors, including the new flavor of Double Bacon Avocado Crunch. The three other burgers consist of existing flavors like its BBQ Tangler Burger and Classic Cheeseburger. These burgers have new seasoning and contain two Angus Beef patties. The new Double Bacon Avocado Burger has toppings of fresh avocado, pickled onions, tater tots and cheese. 

“It’s very difficult to go on the journey of elevating and adapting the brand and then leaving the menu in isolation,” Ronayne said. “Taking the time to scrutinize and challenge ourselves and our status quo and also create a space for innovation to thrive within the family dining space is exactly what we need to be doing.” 

The casual chain has partnered with The Culinary Edge to do a full menu review and ensure that its menu meets guests’ needs, Ronayne said. Within the next six months, Perkins will roll out more changes to the menu, she said. 

“One of the conversations that we keep having is [asking], how do we bring the bakery and restaurant together?” Ronayne said.  “Rather than [customers] just grabbing a muffin on the way out, how can we incorporate some of these elements of our bakery into the food that we’re serving at the restaurant?” 

The chain also is leaning into value and assessing how it can ensure that it is giving the guest a full plate of food at an affordable price, she said. 

“You’ll definitely start to see some changes in our dinner offerings,” Ronayne said. “Dinner is a space that we believe that we can really play in and also showcase some great innovation and invite our guests back to be able to see those changes.” 

The Decked Out Doubles are part of that initial dinner platform revision, she said. Another rollout for its menu is expected to follow soon, and with a third and fourth revision in the winter, she said. 

“We want to be a lead innovator in the space and we believe that the work we’re doing is going to overall not just elevate Perkins, but elevate the family dining category,” Ronayne said.

After facing rising costs and tough economic conditions since 2022, restaurants are scrambling for customers. To entice these guests, brands from McDonald’s to Chili’s and Applebee’s rolled out value meals, combos and buy-one-get-one offers to draw people in the door in Q2 and Q3 2024.

Even independent restaurants have participated in the value promotions, adding 3,250 combo menu items during the summer, with new combo additions peaking between July 28 through Aug. 10, 2024, according to SpotOn data emailed to Restaurant Dive. Independents also added 210 BOGO items, with additions increasing by 90% from the week of Aug. 4 to the week of Aug. 11, 2024. Bottomless menu items and All You Can Eat offers were both up 30% from the week of Aug. 4 to the week of Aug. 11, 2024. 

“When the economy is good or the economy is bad, you’re seeing some version of a combo meal from chains, maybe seasonal or value-based,” said Kevin Bryla, CMO and head of consumer experience at SpotOn.

What’s happening now in the post-COVID environment is different, he said. People still want to go out and value that experience, but restaurants have raised prices dramatically in response to increased costs in recent years. Still, restaurateurs haven’t been able to pass on all inflation increases to guests, and profits are under pressure “like never before,” Bryla said. 

“I don’t think that brands coming out with BOGO offers or value menus are actually changing the nature of guests. It’s the guests that are really changing the nature of the restaurant,” said Joe Yetter, general manager at Par Technology. 

Price increases are driving average check size for the typical brand, Yetter said, but just about every brand is struggling with same-store traffic. 

“The economy, the guests are affecting the brands and the brands are responding with more value,” Yetter said. 

Guests that are most price sensitive are gravitating toward value promotions, Yetter said.

In addition, consumers are increasingly buying down the menu, meaning that someone who might have bought a steak one day is buying a burger the next day, since that is what they can afford, Bryla said. People still want to go out to eat, but have finite resources.

“Restaurants have been seeing that and feeling that and trying to come up with a lot of creative ways to get folks to stay loyal,” Bryla said. “It’s a battle out there.”

While many chains offered discounted meal deals, buy-one-get-one burgers were one of the most popular offerings among customers, according to a Revenue Management Solutions survey of 860 participants conducted in June. Thirteen percent of surveyed consumers said they were most likely to buy a BOGO burger, compared to 8% who would opt for value meals. However, families with incomes below $50,000 much preferred a burger and nugget meal, priced at $5, versus the overall population.

What drives successful value offerings

Creating value menus is just one step in enticing consumers back — creating engaging ads to get them in the door is another. 

“While people may have a plan around how often they eat out, it’s often up in the air where they’re going to eat out,” said Laura Grover, SVP and head of client solutions at Edo Inc., which measures advertising outcomes.. “So you do have to be top of mind. … It really is essential to be able to break through the clutter, resonate with consumers and spark them to want to eat out with you,” Grover said. 

Edo collects advertising campaigns across various platforms, including streaming, and measures engagement in terms of searches and clicks on client sites using Google Trends API. 

Applebee’s All You Can Eat campaign has been one of the most successful per Edo’s findings, beating the casual restaurant category average by 45%, and Chili’s 3 for Me deal outperformed the average by 35%. That means individuals exposed to the ads were more likely to search for these brands, Grover explained.

While the Chili’s 3 for Me isn’t new and has been available for sometime, it has “continuously been a strong performer,” Grover said. 

The pizza category has approached recent promotions differently, however, since value has always been part of the category. Instead, pizza ads tend to focus more strongly on the food and product innovation, Grover said. 

“If you go to any of their websites, there is always some type of deal, and I do feel like that's ingrained in people's minds,” Grover said. “New products jump out a little bit more because consumers know that they can get that good deal.”

Pizza Hut launched its Tavern Pizza campaign earlier in 2024, which was centered on a thin crust style of pizza popular in Chicago. That campaign was one of the strongest pizza ads Edo has seen so far in 2024, Grover said.

Other items that have performed well include somewhat more premium ingredients, like shrimp dishes at Long John Silver’s and Panda Express. 

“It’s almost a splurge [since] … seafood tends to be a little bit more expensive,” Grover said. “This is making it attainable and it’s that treat that maybe you can’t afford as frequently right now.” 

Value doesn’t just mean price

Customers liked getting free items and much preferred offers of free chicken nuggets with purchase and one entree, two sides and drink promotions, an RMS June 2024 survey revealed. Highest spenders opted for high promotions that offered quantities for the price, as they often shared meals or spread that meal over many days.

Family dining and full-service concepts like Texas Roadhouse aren’t resorting to discounts like BOGOs, because they already deliver strong value for money, and have ended up taking traffic from their competitors and are driving new traffic, Yetter said, because of their all-round value perception. The traffic that these concepts are driving is often a result of a special occasion, like birthday, date night or taking the family out for a nice dinner, rather than the high frequency cheaper QSRs are aiming for. 

Unlimited offerings like Olive Garden’s Never Ending Pasta and Unlimited breadsticks are also more about value in quantity versus price point, Grover said, adding that Never Ending Pasta and unlimited soup, salad and breadsticks perform above average for Olive Garden ads, with Never Ending Pasta leading to stronger engagement. 

“Having a strong proposition that means high quality food for fair prices can also be a huge value component,” Yetter said. “You can still say the value for money that Texas Roadhouse is delivering is similar to the same type of value or value for money that someone like McDonald's or a QSR brand is driving. It’s just in a different segment of the consumer. It’s just … a different occasion.”

The impact of value on restaurants

Operators also need to make sure that they are using the right ingredients at the right price to not just create value for customers, but also maintain profitability, Bryla said. 

In the past few years, operators have evaluated the price of certain ingredients weekly instead of monthly or quarterly. With food prices ebbing and flowing, restaurants have to be more strategic and create offers with ingredients when they are lower priced. 

Crabby Daddy’s in Missouri is a great example of this, Bryla said. The owner found a way to get crabs at a very low cost, allowing it to provide an All You Can Eat Crab offer. This added value for consumers while still turning a profit for the restaurant, Bryla said. 

“It is so critical to understand your menu, understand your inventory costs and understand your profitability,” Bryla said. “Restaurants have always struggled with the fact that they love delighting customers and they love putting good offers out there, but if the restaurant’s not profitable, it’s not going to be there to give those great offers and that great guest experience six months from now, or a year from now.”  

Many of the value offerings promoted during the summer were limited-time offerings, a strategy that Bryla said is key to pricing. 

“It’s essential that they’re limited time because otherwise you just reset the expectation of … pricing lower and you can’t bring your price back up again,” Bryla said. “So the limited-time offer gets people in the door and gets them in the habit.” 

The highest-value customer is the loyal one who keeps coming back, he said. 

“What makes or breaks restaurants is loyal, repeat customers. I think these offers, when well thought through, are a nice part of the mix,” Bryla said. 

How value is driving traffic

While offers in the early summer of 2024 did result in subsequent traffic boosts at chains like McDonald’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, Chili’s and Starbucks, brands shouldn’t rush value promotions out the door.

Every brand should test a value deal or meal to see if it drives incrementality, Yetter said. That could mean testing in specific locations or markets to see if these items yield new visits, add new spend or are eating away their existing customer spend and just trading down to the value offer. 

Brands should also have an understanding of the longevity of these consumers, Yetter said. They need to determine if value deals are just driving trials or are actually impacting traffic during specific periods compared to other busy periods.

Not every deal is meant to drive incremental sales and could just be encouraging add-ons. For example, a QSR could provide a steep discount on a dessert item or chicken nuggets that would drive customers in the door and then buy more off the menu. 

Bryla said he expects restaurants to offer more value promotions, especially if they are really compelling to guests. 

Beyond just getting people in the door with these offers, restaurants also need to ensure that customers have a good experience that will help them become repeat customers. 

“If you just rely on the offer and don’t have all those surrounding strategies, it’s going to be tough,” Bryla said.

Sponsored content

By Lamb Weston

Labor shortages are an ongoing obstacle for the restaurant industry and it’s becoming increasingly important for operators and chefs to navigate these challenges to effectively run their businesses. While staffing problems were already a concern before the pandemic, the situation has worsened.¹ As of early 2024, staffing levels remained 3.6% below pre-pandemic levels, with approximately 450,000 open positions across the industry.² This not only raises concerns about whether kitchens have the necessary support to operate as usual but also affects the overall guest experience—whether they dine in, order takeout, or have food delivered.¹

Not having enough staff complicates operations for restaurant owners. In 2023, 62% of operators report difficulty in finding enough staff to meet demand, while 80% struggle to fill any open positions.³ The challenge is compounded by the need for qualified candidates; if the pool of interested applicants is already limited, filtering out those lacking the necessary experience or skills further narrows options. This creates a challenging dynamic as 45% of restaurant owners say they urgently need employees to support customer demand.⁴

Restaurant owners recognize that these labor shortages not only create obstacles for them but also lead to frustration for their diners. Customers have voiced concerns about understaffing, with 33% reporting longer wait times for food, 32% noting a diminished experience due to overstressed staff, and 17% experiencing delays when placing their orders.¹ These issues can harm customer satisfaction and loyalty, adding pressure on restaurants to maintain their good reputation and relationship with customers.

Further complicating these staffing challenges is the sharp rise in labor costs. Operators are facing wage increases of nearly 30% compared to pre-pandemic levels¹, leading to an overall labor cost increase of around 31%.⁵ Restaurant operators must navigate the difficult decision of balancing profitability with tough choices such as raising prices, cutting back hours, or managing slimmer margins.¹

How can operators and chefs address these issues to ensure the profitability and longevity of their restaurants? One strategy is to optimize menus by featuring items commonly found in the back of house (BOH) that require minimal preparation and training. Fries are a great choice. They are loved by guests, ranking as the most popular food across generations, and can be one of the most profitable items on the menu.⁶ Plus frozen fries require minimal prep time, eliminating the need to cut each potato by hand, thereby easing labor demands. Additionally, frozen fries are perceived by guests as significantly more profitable than hand-cut fries.⁷ So, with virtually no prep time and faster cook times, frozen fries enhance efficiency while boosting profits.

Another area for operators to explore is adjusting pricing or modifying menus to emphasize higher-margin items.¹ In fact, many restaurants have streamlined menus to enhance profitability and efficiency amid labor and logistics challenges. Within the last five years, permanent menu items have declined by 24%, while limited time offers (LTOs) have increased by 25%.⁸ Fries prove to be a valuable ingredient again as they can serve as a versatile base for any LTO. They can easily be loaded up with any sauce or topping commonly found BOH. The possibilities are limitless and loaded fries have a median price that is $2.81 higher than standard fry apps and sides, making them ideal higher-margin items to feature while utilizing low-cost ingredients already on hand.⁹

Lamb Weston is a valuable partner, recognizing the challenges chefs and operators are facing in the restaurant industry, which is why they offer a diverse portfolio of frozen fries that require minimal back-of-house preparation and can be seamlessly integrated into any menu. Plus, Lamb Weston® Seasoned Fries are the perfect choice for chefs looking to add a flavorful fry to the menu without any additional work. Their Seasoned fries are not only artistically influenced by a mild blend of seasoning but also a fan favorite among guests, so you can rest assured that you are delivering a flavor-packed eating experience. With two new products to choose from, the Seasoned Original Recipe Crinkle Fries or the Seasoned Seashore-Style™ Fries are sure to satisfy cravings and keep them coming back!

Contact a Lamb Weston® Fry Expert to learn more about their new Seasoned fries and how they can help combat the issues associated with labor shortages.

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¹ Mileva, G. (2024, October 2). 2024 restaurant Labor Market Insights. Push. https://www.pushoperations.com/blog/2024-restaurant-labor-market-insights 

² Jones, A. (2024, October 1). The restaurant labor shortage: How we got here and a 2023 update. OpenTable Resources. https://restaurant.opentable.com/resources/restaurant-labor-shortage/

³ Doss, M. (2023, June 13). Hungerrush data shows majority of diners believe the restaurant customer experience is declining due to the ongoing labor shortage. Business Wire. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230613421517/en/HungerRush-Data-Shows-Majority-of-Diners-Believe-the-Restaurant-Customer-Experience-is-Declining-Due-to-the-Ongoing-Labor-Shortage 

⁴ 2024 state of the restaurant industry. National Restaurant Association. (2024, February 5). https://restaurant.org/research-and-media/research/research-reports/state-of-the-industry/ 

⁵ Inflation. National Restaurant Association. (2024). https://restaurant.org/research-and-media/research/inflation/

⁶ Lamb Weston Proprietary Amplifry Study. Lamb Weston. (2023).

⁷ Amplify 2022 Datassentail. Lamb Weston. (2022).

⁸ Impact of a Recession on Foodservice. Technomic. (2022).

⁹ Datassential Menu Trends

In Q2 2024, McDonald’s broke a four-year streak, when its U.S. same-store sales dipped 0.7%. Traffic declines pushed the chain to emphasize its value proposition, so it extended a limited-time $5 Meal Deal into December. The promotion, which launched June 25, 2024, was originally expected to lapse at the end of the summer. 

McDonald’s, like other fast food chains, is grappling with negative price perception as the growth of food-away-from-home prices continues to outpace that of grocery prices. Several QSRs rolled out permanent and temporary value meals during the summer to improve diner sentiment and drive traffic. 

McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski said during the chain’s Q2 2024 call that it needed a national value platform. Analyst BTIG said in a July report that Kempczinski’s statement may suggest the $5 Meal Deal LTO could be too narrow to attract significant guest counts. Even once a core value menu is added, it could take months of advertising to resonate with customers, BTIG said.

Data is mixed on whether or not McDonald’s $5 Meal Deal has been an effective means of boosting sales, traffic and customer loyalty. As of July, the meal had yet to make a significant impact on same-store sales, but the chain saw an initial traffic bump in the days following the June 25 launch.

Customer interest is high for McDonald’s deal

McDonald’s saw higher consumer interest in its value offering compared to a similar $5 promotion offered by Burger King, according to an M Science report. About 25% of McDonald’s customers ordered the $5 Meal Deal in the weeks following June 25 compared to about 10% of Burger King customers in the weeks following that chain’s June 10 $5 promotion, per M Science digital purchase data.

McDonald’s meal deal also helped bring back lapsed customers. Twelve percent of customers who purchased the meal had not been to the chain during the previous three months, per the report. Roughly 5% were new customers. 

In the weeks after the $5 Meal Deal launch, M Science found that orders with the bundle had 12% higher checkers than orders without it. The promotion has been ordered more frequently as an add-on to other items rather than as a standalone purchase.  

“We think the high percentage of ‘regulars’ among the offer's customer base might mean some customers are boosting their standard order with the promo rather than substituting the promo for existing orders,” M Science said in its report. “We think the boost to average check could be helping to support average check at a time when MCD is looking to get less aggressive on its pricing.” 

Regulars are defined as customers who have visited the chain within the previous 30 days. 

McDonald’s had particular success with “Young Urban Singles,” according to a Placer.ai white paper emailed to Restaurant Dive. This demographic segment is defined as young singles starting out in careers or in trade jobs. In states with high market shares of this demographic, average visits were higher in July compared to statewide averages. 

“These young, price-conscious consumers, who are receptive to spending their discretionary income on dining out, are not the sole driver of McDonald’s LTO foot traffic success,” Placer.ai said in a recent white paper. “Still, the promotion’s outsize performance in areas where McDonald’s attracts higher-than-average shares of Young Urban Singles shows that the offering was well-tailored to meet the particular needs and preferences of this key demographic.”

Perception of value, price shifts

HundredX, a customer data and insights company, found mixed customer comments about the $5 Meal Deal, with some diners sharing that it’s a good value. A woman in the 40 to 49 age range earning less than $25,000 said she started going back to McDonald’s because of the promotion, per a report emailed to Restaurant Dive. Other customers of various demographics still found McDonald’s prices to be too high. 

HundredX’s data revealed that McDonald’s has yet to significantly move the needle on customer perception on price and value. As of August 2024, customer perception on price fell 16% year over year and continues a downward trend despite evening out during the summer. Double-digit percentage declines in sentiment indicate customers are seeing prices unfavorably.

On the other hand, McDonald’s price perception decline started to slow in July compared to steeper dips in previous months, which could indicate positive perception of the $5 Meal Deal, Andre Benjamin, vice president of strategy at HundredX, wrote in an email.

Comparatively, HundredX reported a 4% decline year over year in customer price perception for the quick, fast casual segment (QFC) in August 2024. 

The net positive perception of value for McDonald’s fell 7% year over year. Perception on value for QFC declined only three points August over August, comparatively. 

“Managing prices is key for QFC companies as they struggle to regain slumping sales,” Benjamin said. “In our feedback flow, price is among the top three most selected reasons why a customer likes or dislikes a QFC brand. Clearly, price is top of mind for customers — it should be top of mind for restaurants, too.”

Chef Paul Fabre, Subway’s senior vice president of culinary and innovation, has been very busy lately. 

Fabre, who joined Subway in December 2020, has led the chain’s approach to menu strategy, innovation and all things culinary. In 2022, the chain released its Subway Series, just a year after the chain created its Eat Fresh Refresh. 

“It’s great to see the positive momentum in the brand, and so we continue to deliver that from a culinary perspective,” Fabre said. 

In 2024, his team revealed Subway Sidekicks, snackable items that were part of product collaborations with Cinnabon and Auntie Anne’s. Those products were so popular that Subway sold 3.5 million of the items in the first two weeks of launch. A few months later, the chain appended Dippers to its snack menu, adding to its growing roster of savory items. 

“This year is really about meeting our guests’ [demands] and extending our occasions … both from a menu platform, as well as from a different time of day,” Fabre said. 

Restaurant Dive spoke with Fabre about the development of Subway’s newest menu items, including the Subway Sidekicks and Dippers and how his team took account of guest and franchisee feedback. 

Editor’s Note: This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity. 

RESTAURANT DIVE: What was the process for developing Subway’s latest menu items, especially the Subway Sidekicks? 

PAUL FABRE: Our creative process here at Subway is always guest led. Our product innovation is really about solving a complex puzzle: How do we fit all things together from consumer insights, what are the guests looking for, what are some of the culinary trends we’re seeing around us — spicy or sweet — as well as how it links to the brand from a value perspective, so that we can create familiar offerings that are both craveable and exciting. 

A lot of the things that we do are highly collaborative. So we use a lot of our internal partners. Our franchisees and our field teams give us a lot of good tips and help with testing. Our suppliers help as well. We really believe that all great ideas come from anybody, but we use a very enhanced process to ensure that the guest is our North Star for whatever we develop. 

Can you expand the process of developing Sidekicks, as that was a partnership with outside brands? 

We worked on the Sidekicks for over 14 months, with Auntie Anne’s and Cinnabon, iconic brands at GoTo Foods. They’ve been great partners in developing these craveable items. 

Sidekicks have been a great success. It’s our step into snacking, and we know that consumers are eating multiple times during the day and looking for other options outside of the typical lunch or dinner occasions.

It's truly about delivering craveable, snackable items, easy on-the-go at a great value. It also gives us the opportunity to meet the guests on different occasions besides their sandwich. A lot of snacks are consumed with a sandwich, but also in the afternoon by itself as well. 

How do you take into account consumer and franchisee feedback in your menu development? 

Whenever we develop new menu items, we would test them in various markets around the United States to see the success of them. We really lean heavily on feedback from our operators, our franchisees, but also our sandwich artists to see if those items are easy to execute. And we gather feedback from consumers as well. From our franchisees we saw high engagement and love for those new products, and that really helps the success of those. It’s always highly collaborative. As we roll new items, we want to ensure that our franchisees are fully behind them.

What was the thinking behind some of the newest sandwich flavors, such as summer of 2024’s Honey Mustard Barbecue Chicken and Spicy Nacho Chicken? 

We looked at bolder, forward-leaning flavors on these items. They’re cheesier, sweet, crunchy and spicy. Those new flavors really deliver a different experience on a sandwich. Our team introduced two new sauces, and we also could leverage all the sauces that we have upgraded over the last few years. 

We’re particularly proud of the introduction of SubKrunch. It’s really the first in the category that develops a crunch to the sandwich. At Subway, we don’t have fryers, but we know that guests love crunchy and crispy items. So we asked: ‘How can we deliver a crispy or a crunchy item on a sandwich?’ This item is a corn crisp with umami flavoring that guests can add to their favorite sandwiches, but also order on the standard Garlic Steak or the Nacho Chicken sandwiches and really have a crispy experience. So it's really about driving bolder, more flavor-forward sandwiches.

How long were those sandwiches in development before you launched them?

It typically takes us anywhere from eight months to a year for sandwiches. We are very lucky at Subway that we have great flavors and great ingredients already in our restaurant. 

From a culinary perspective, we like to leverage the ingredients we have already. If you look at the Honey Barbecue Chicken, we brought in a barbecue sauce. We already had a new honey mustard sauce. We have our chicken. 

Why did you focus on a snacking menu? And why add the Dippers? 

Dippers were really part of our long-term snacking strategy. The previous snacks and Sidekicks were more on the sweet side. So this is really savory. It’s a great value — $3. They’re highly craveable. They’re easy on the go. They’re great for kids. They're a foot long. 

But also, it really leverages all of our sauces. We have 12 great sauces at Subway. Guests can choose their sandwich, their favorite sauce. There's a lot of mixing of sauces that goes on with our guests. Now you can have a Spicy Pepperoni Dipper with your favorite ranch; it's all about finding the right dip. So it's really kind of meeting two different trends at the same time: Snacking at a value and dipping as well.

We’re just lucky with all the high quality ingredients we have. The lavash was introduced earlier [in 2024] with new signature wraps. So we leveraged the new lavash bread. It’s pillowy, it's soft.

What can we expect in terms of menu development going forward at Subway?

We’re always looking to see what the next thing will be. I think we have great options for our guests. We have something for everybody, at every budget. Our team is very committed to innovating and ensuring that we have even more flavor on our menu.

Noodles & Company launched three new dishes as part of its first multi-phase menu transformation on Oct. 9, 2024, the company said in a press release.

The new dishes are Lemon Garlic Shrimp Scampi, Chipotle Chicken Cavatappi and Crispy Chicken Bacon Alfredo. 

Noodles & Company’s culinary transformation is expected to touch about two-thirds of the menu and fill in flavor gaps with items that are Latin- or Cajun-inspired, CEO Drew Madsen previously told Restaurant Dive. The chain already serves Italian, Asian and American noodle flavors.

In tests conducted earlier in 2024, the Crispy Chicken Bacon Alfredo sold 50% higher than the dish it is replacing, the Alfredo MontAmore, while the Lemon Garlic Shrimp Scampi and Chipotle Chicken Cavatappi sold well and had guest satisfaction scores above Noodle’s menu average. The next round of updates are expected to occur in the first quarter of 2025, after the holiday season. 

The company has been working with The Culinary Edge to develop “bold and innovative flavors that elevate the dining experience,” the company said in the press release. 

“This launch is a significant milestone in our journey to deliver more sophisticated, dynamic flavors to our guests, and we’re confident that our fans — new and old alike — will find something to love, said Scott Davis, chief concept officer at Noodles & Company, in a statement. “These three new dishes are only the beginning of what’s to come.”

New menu items are expected to drive Noodles and Company’s traffic and boost same-store sales, which were down during the last three quarters of 2023. Same-store sales improved in Q2 2024, increasing 2% systemwide, but that followed a 5.4% systemwide decrease during Q1 2024, according to earnings releases, leaving the company with significant sales ground to recover.

Cracker Barrel launched its largest menu test in the brand’s history in June at 14 locations in Texas, the company said in a press release. The test includes about 20 new items and a redesign of the restaurant’s menu to make it easier for guests to navigate and to reduce complexities of recipes for staff, the company said. 

The menu test is part of the company’s larger transformation plan, announced in May, that includes refining its brand, improving the store and guest experience, bolstering digital and off-premise business and improving the employee experience.

Cracker Barrel’s fiscal third quarter 2024 traffic, which was weaker than expected, “underscores the need for our strategic transformation,” CEO Julie Felss Masino said during a May earnings call. Masino added that traffic is down 20% compared to 2019. CFO Craig Pommells said traffic was down by 4.9% during the third quarter 2024, specifically. 

As part of Cracker Barrel’s research into its transformation, the chain talked to guests across the country from all backgrounds, as well as its team members to figure out what needed to change to improve the overall experience.

“We heard from them that the experience in Cracker Barrel just isn’t relevant specifically at dinner,” Masino said. 

Dinner sales, which make up about 35% of the sales mix, were down during the quarter.

“We’ve held up quite well at breakfast,” Masino said. “But what guests have told us is that [compared to] the Cracker Barrel experience, there are more relevant choices for them in the dinner daypart based on the experiential factors.”

Daily Specials will be included as part of the menu tests, giving guests specific meals only on certain nights of the week. Those items include Lemon Pepper Trout n’ classic Turnip Greens, Southern BBQ Ribs and Chicken n’ Rice. Other menu items offered daily include Hashbrown Casserole Shepherd’s Pie, Green Chile Cornbread, Chicken n’ Dumplin soup and Cinnamon Bread French Toast. A new dessert of banana pudding will also be part of the test. 

The company will monitor sales performance, gather guest and employee feedback and review how efficiently its back-of-house staff handle preparation of the new dishes, Cracker Barrel said in an email to Restaurant Dive. The chain decide to focus its test in Texas since the state’s diverse population encompasses a broad spectrum of tastes. Texas also is a big market for the chain with many well-established locations. 

“As we seek to balance menu innovation and simplification, we will take a strategic approach to rolling these items out to the full system over time,” Cracker Barrel said. “We saw success with early iterations of the test, so we plan to introduce several of these items to the full system this fall including savory Chicken and Rice, Pot Roast and Hashbrown Casserole Shepherd’s Pie, a new take on the guest favorite Hashbrown Casserole. We believe these dishes, in particular, resonate well with guests’ seasonal preferences and speak to the type of flavors they’re craving in the fall.”

Prices for these new items range from $3.99 for its Green Chile Cornbread to $17.99 for its Southern BBQ Ribs, which will be served Saturdays as a daily special, the company said.

In addition to menu changes, the company is looking at design elements, like tables, lighting, and paint, to improve the look and feel of the dining rooms, so that they feel “lighter, brighter, fresher, cleaner … place where I do want to have dinner,” Masino said. The company, which continues to test new prototypes, plans to complete 25 to 30 remodels in fiscal year 2025 that incorporate these elements. 

Other chains, including Dave & Buster’s, Noodles & Company and Panera, have been overhauling their menus this year as the industry struggles slipping traffic. Menu additions can prove successful drivers of sales as seen at Subway, which added a snack category in January. Within two weeks of its Sidekicks launch, Subway sold 3.5 million of these items and about 30 million in the six months after launch.

Dave & Buster’s updated its menu nationwide in April with at least 20 premium food and drink options, the company wrote in an email sent to Restaurant Dive. The chain offered a 50% discount on all food for new and existing rewards members through the end of that month. 

The menu update is part of the chain’s multi-phased effort to improve operations and the guest experience. The company previously launched its second phase last September that included removing complexity in the back of house and making sure that labor and management were in the right places at the right times.

While Dave & Buster’s previous improvement plan phases were focused on operational efficiencies, this latest rollout is about the menu itself, touching upon various sections including appetizers, bowls, desserts and sides. The company added the new menu at one-third of its system in late March, CEO Chris Morris said in the company’s April 2 earnings call. New menu items include the Game Day Grub Sampler Board, Loaded Barbacoa Fries, Stacked Steak Bowl, Cajun Shrimp Pasta and a Cereal Cake. 

Dave & Buster’s expects its new menu and service model, in connection with value-focused messaging, will lead to additional traffic, new loyalty members, more food and beverage attachments and increased gaming revenue, Morris said. 

In the quarter following its second phase, the chain already saw improvements to guest satisfaction with food quality and improvements in speed of service leading to greater throughput during peak times, Morris said. In the first five weeks of its second phase rollout, the chain saw a 5% increase in food and beverage revenue per check, Morris said during the chain’s earnings call last December. 

“Based on how the Phase 2 menus performed since launching systemwide … and our test results for the Phase 3 menu, we expect to drive at least a mid-single digit increase in F&B revenue per check,” he said during the April call. The changes are also expected to improve food satisfaction scores by three to five percentage points. 

The company is also working on a new store remodel program that includes things like a “reconsidered dining room,” more group-relevant entertainment options and improved guest engagement using a digital guest engagement platform Morris said. Its first remodel in Friendswood, Texas, saw a double-digit sales increase in the few weeks after completion and a greater than 30% increase in sales compared to 2019.

Brian Sullivan, Red Robin’s VP of culinary, approached a burger like a blank canvas when thinking about how to improve the casual chain’s signature menu item. He considered ways to heighten the burger with global flavors and cooking techniques, while also maintaining what people love about the food. Ultimately, he aimed to serve high-quality ingredients as part of the company’s North Star Plan. 

He had recent practice in menu innovation, too. Before joining Red Robin in January 2023, Sullivan had just rolled out a burger at California Pizza Kitchen.

“I believe that you can put anything that you want on a burger and make it interesting,” he said. “I think it’s a use of ingredients or flavor that you might be familiar with, but then combining them in unexpected combinations. … When you taste it it’s like a marriage of some sort.” 

Last October, Sullivan’s vision of better menu quality was revealed across Red Robin’s system. Sullivan and his team have changed items like pickles, tomatoes, onions, and mushrooms, margarita mix and dessert toppings, while still sourcing these ingredients from existing suppliers.

“We’ve touched about 85% of the menu at this point in some form or fashion, whether it’s ingredients or a combination of ingredients and plateware,” Sullivan said. “The food quality and the taste really comes through. You can taste the difference for sure.”

Prior to the October 2023 menu rollout, Sullivan’s team had already introduced flat-top grills to improve the cooking process — replacing its old conveyor belt method — and made burgers that were 20% bigger. The team also removed the old red baskets and wraps used for burgers and replaced them with white plateware to elevate its presentation.

“When you take a burger and wrap half of it in paper, you’re concealing the beauty of the burger,” Sullivan said. “[We wanted] to give the burger a stage, which is the plate, to showcase all of the ingredients, the height of the burger and to really put a stamp on gourmet, because ‘gourmet burgers’ is a moniker on our buildings.”

The big menu reveal

The menu revamp includes several new core menu items, including Tsunami Shrimp as an appetizer and entree, Crispy Parmesan Brussel Sprouts, Whiskey River BBQ Ribs and Garlic Parmesan Broccoli. Red Robin unveiled new limited-time menu additions as well, including BBQ Burnt Ends ‘N Bacon Burgers and Loaded Fries, which were designed to mirror popular flavor trends, Sullivan said.

The bar menu was expanded to include Kendall Jackson chardonnay and Kim Crawford sauvignon blanc Sullivan said. Spirits were upgraded with more premium offerings, like Casamigos Blanco tequila and Angel Envy bourbon. Margaritas have a new mix, paired with fresh lime juice and agave. The dessert menu also features new ingredients like, an upgraded caramel sauce, Sullivan said.

Standard ingredients were upgraded, as well. Red Robin now serves a new mayo, crispy pickles with briny, garlicky flavor, and vine-ripened tomatoes. Using the flat-top grills, mushrooms and carmelized onions will be cooked to order going forward, which was not the case before the menu rollout. The Banzai Burger is now prepared with fresh grilled pineapple rings and the Smashed Avocado N’ Bacon Burger is made with fresh smashed guacamole, replacing the Guacamole Bacon Burger. 

In May 2023, the company tweaked its breaded cheese sticks to include better-quality cheese and a new marinara sauce, Sullivan said. Red Robin overhauled its chicken sandwich that same month, marking one of the chain’s most significant menu changes. The sandwich’s chicken cutlet is now hand-breaded and topped with new ingredients, including pickles, mayo and vine-ripened tomatoes. The chicken sandwich, which stands taller at five to six inches high, also has a new bun and is cooked to order for guests.

“It’s just a monster,” Sullivan said. “But that’s an example of … ingredients and the impacts that they’re having on the food.”

Behind the scenes 

One of the most important criteria for Sullivan is to ensure that a new item is operationally sound, so that Red Robin can procure the right ingredients for all of its restaurants nationwide. After a new menu concept goes through the operations team, which helps vet the item, it goes to the executive team before it’s greenlit.

Then new items are tested at select restaurants and vetted again for operational execution to determine what may need to be tweaked, how the guests and employees feel about the item and whether staff are happy with the cooking procedures. 

“The last thing after the test period is we monitor sales,” Sullivan said. “If we hit our targets on sales and we check all of those boxes, we’re … ready to go and that item would launch in the appropriate menu cycle.” 

“We had been working so hard to make these changes and everybody on my team is excited. And the excitement throughout the organization is palpable,” he said, adding that he saw the anticipation firsthand in a Los Angeles restaurant where cooks were happy to work with flat-top grills and use different ingredients. 

“There’s just a complete overhaul and you can really feel how it has energized the restaurants,” Sullivan said. “I’m really proud of what we’ve accomplished here. … It’s a really big and exciting time for us.” 

Next up on Red Robin’s menu 

Red Robin will continue to roll out new burgers in the future, including one called the Lava Burger that underwent testing in Arizona. The burger is served with roasted poblano peppers, caramelized onions, fresh tomatoes and a queso fundido cheese mix with chorizo that is poured on top using a two-and-a-half-inch tall mold. The mold is lifted off of the burger at the table and the queso cascades over the whole burger. 

“It’s an eye opener. It’s Instagrammable. But more importantly, it tastes amazing,” Sullivan said. 

Future LTOs will focus more on ingredients that are in season. The spring/summer 2024 menu will include watermelon, fresh strawberries and basil; Sullivan has a salad planned that incorporates these ingredients. The team plans to use strawberry and fresh watermelon juice in cocktails and other beverages. For the fall/winter season, his team is looking at pumpkins, butternut squash and other ingredients that are currently in season that they can test and fine tune for next year, he said. 

“We’re constantly researching culinary trends, immersing ourselves in what’s happening in the industry, staying in tune, visiting a lot of restaurants, using consumer insights to guide us to make those decisions,” Sullivan said. “We’re always looking for something that’s going to stand out.”