CHICAGO -- Tough economic times typically sharpen companies' focus on cost-cutting measures; however, foodservice consultants at Technomic found a significant uptick in recent menu innovation among the top 250 chain restaurants. Based on data collected through its MenuMonitor service, October saw the largest number of limited-time offers (LTOs) and new menu items in the past five years.
The findings, published in the firm's Menu Innovation Monthly Report, identified 547 new menu items, 40% higher than the monthly average for 2008. Of these, 157 were reported as "back" [image-nocss] on the menu, 197 were LTOs and 193 were new items.
By category, the largest number of new October items were lunch/dinner entrees (273 items), followed by desserts (96), appetizers (49), breakfast entrees (48), nonalcoholic beverages (29) and adult beverages (20). Side items (17), healthy items (12) and add-ons (3) rounded out the list. In terms of flavor profiles, notable October menu flavors included pumpkin, apple, cinnamon, pecan and chipotle.
"With consumers cutting back on eating out, restaurants needed to find new ways to bring customers through their doors," said Bernadette Noone, senior program manager at Chicago-based Technomic. "Many chains are using LTOs as a cost-effective way to trial new items before doing large rollouts."
Noone added that operators appear quite open to partnering with suppliers on new products with shorter lead times.
The MenuMonitor online database, and its companion Menu Innovation Monthly Report, help operators and suppliers track menu trends and identify new menu opportunities.
A recent report indicated that although visits are down, quick-serve restaurants (QSRs) are still trumping casual dining. (Click here to read a recent CSP Daily News story.)
Another recent report (click here) said that discounted price, dollar menus and other promotions are driving customer traffic.
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