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Pleasing Customers with Craveable Menu Options
Published: July 16, 2024
Written by Nation’s Restaurant News
Satisfying the Demand for Good-for-You Food That Tastes Great
What makes a restaurant or noncommercial foodservice establishment popular and successful? One of the crucial factors is serving food that is so delicious and exciting customers can’t wait to come back. In a word, it is craveable.
For many customers, enjoying craveable food is different from splurging or overindulging. Research suggests there is a significant demand for food away from home that is not just craveable, but also healthy and that restaurants can do more to provide it.
Although 65% of consumers rank restaurant food higher in craveability than eating at home, 89% say food at home is healthier, according to a keynote presentation by Jack Li, executive chairman of Datassential, at CREATE: The Experience, a conference for restaurant industry thought leaders produced by Nation’s Restaurant News in 2023. In addition, significant percentages of consumers say restaurants have too few healthy options available (35%), healthy items cost more (29%) and healthy items don’t taste as good (21%).1
Narrowing the gap between healthy and craveable is “the ultimate unmet consumer need,” said Li. He urged operators to make healthy menu options more available, affordable and fun. “These are all things we can do, and I think we can make a lot of money in the process,” he said.
Lightening Up
Operators can take practical steps to help their customers enjoy craveable food without overdoing it. It is important to offer flavorful menu options made with healthier ingredients customers may choose when they are in the mood for lighter eating.
To get started, choose a food that is popular, protein-centric and easy to use, such as chicken breast filets. Combine it with sauces, rubs, garnishes and accompaniments that add additional layers of flavor without excessive calories. Unbreaded chicken filets prepared with lighter methods, such as roasting, grilling and wood-fire cooking, served in moderate portions with lower-calorie accompaniments, are ideal for this effort.
Although breaded and fried chicken sandwiches are hugely popular, customers may appreciate the option to order a grilled chicken sandwich with fresh produce garnishes, or a roasted or grilled chicken filet sliced and served atop a tossed green salad or in a grain bowl. The flavors operators build into such items propel them across the goal line of craveability.
Those are just a few of the ways operators can boost the craveability of chicken items without veering into overindulgence. Others include offering chicken-based small bites and shareable snacks that are fun and communal for patrons, leveraging the appeal of spicy flavors, such as chipotle, gochujang and Nashville hot sauce, which are on-trend today, and featuring umami-rich flavorings such as Parmigiano cheese, sautéed mushrooms, caramelized onions, and sundried tomatoes. Highlighting seasonality also can create excitement, as in a summer limited-time offering of a grilled chicken filet sandwich with a fresh, light peach salsa.
The Tyson Red Label® Brand Advantage
Operators who choose Tyson Red Label® chicken products have an edge in combining craveability and value-added benefits to provide customers an enjoyable and consistent eating experience. In every channel, segment and type of operation, their ease of preparation and inherent efficiency help drive sales and enhance profitability. In addition, Tyson Red Label® brand has a unique tiered-pricing strategy that allows operators to make purchases at a level that fits their needs.
A sampling of options includes:
Tyson Red Label® Fully Cooked Unbreaded Roasted Chicken Breast Filets have a pan-seared look and classic roasted flavor with notes of carrots, onions and celery.
Tyson Red Label® Fully Cooked Unbreaded Grilled Chicken Breast Filets have char marks and simple seasonings for fresh-off-the-grill flavor and appearance and are easily customizable with many different flavor profiles.
Tyson Red Label® Fully Cooked Wood Fire Seasoned Chicken Breast Strips, Tyson Red Label® Fully Cooked Wood Fire Seasoned Diced Chicken Breast and Tyson Red Label® Fully Cooked Fajita Select Cut Chicken Breast Strips bring additional menu versatility and labor savings as recipe components.
We're Here To Help
Learn more about how Tyson Red Label® products can be used to create menu items that are both flavorful and on-trend to meet consumer need states.
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