December 2010
Culinary Trends
Non-Alcoholic
Blended/For Quality
Hungry
Frozen Beverages
As restaurants seek out the next menu trend to attract
According
to Mintel Menu
customers,
they should
look no further than to quality.
The non-alcoholic blended/frozen
beverage
segment
Insights, the average
Quality
of the
food
is the top
has done well the last few years,
with
the
number
of reason for selecting a
price of a menu item (food
menu items increasing 11% from
a year ago,
upthat 84% of consumers
restaurant.
Minteland
found
and beverage) with a fresh
47% since Q1 2006. The segment
made
upas
prirank is
food
quality
more important than the
claim in Q1 2010 is $10.27
marily of frozen and slush-type
drinks, which
compared to $7.97 without a
innovativeness
of therepremenu, convenient locations,
claim, showing that freshness
sent a 50% and 38% share, respectively.
Lemonade,
and even really
low prices. While quality is not a
is not only good for the
non-alcoholic daiquiris andnew
non-alcoholic
ingredient ormargaritas
undiscovered cooking technique, it
consumer but for the
represent the rest of the top
5, with to
a 5%,
3% and
2% of a restaurant and its
contributes
the overall
“flavor”
restaurant
share, respectively, whilemenu.
the rest
of
the
beverages
in
Focusing on quality also allows operators to redefine
as well.
this segment make up the
other
2%.
Frozen
value
for its
customer
bybevermoving away from low priced menu
ages, slush, and daiquiris
grew only 6%, 8% and 20%,
offerings to more intangilble consumer returns like flavor and experience.
respectively, while margaritas declined by 25%.
Top 15 Frozen/Blended Drink Flavors
Lemonade saw the strongest growth, up 400%.
1. Strawberry
2.
Chocolate Qualities in Selecting
Important
3.
a Banana
Restaurant
4. Vanilla
5. Mango
Percent
6. Raspberry
Rank
7. Orange
Keep it 38%
Fresh
5%
of the food
84
8.Quality
Pineapple
Perhaps no ingredient characteristic best communicates quality
9.Convenient
Peach
Daiquiri
location
71
like freshness. And freshness has implications beyond quality: It is
10. Mocha
the number one attribute consumers associate3%
with their favorite 11.Informal,
Berry
casual atmosphere
58
restaurant. Freshness is popular because it conveys so much more 12. Strawberry & Banana
Margarita
low prices
50
Oreo Cookie
than lack of processing. It expresses clean, unaltered flavor, care 13.Really
2%
14.Food
Caramel
and consideration
in
ingredient
selection,
made-for-you
food,
and
presentation
44
Frozen
15. Coconut
mostBeverage
importantly, quality.
All Other
A specific cuisine
28
Beverages
Fresh’s50%
versatility allows it to be applied to all
areas of the menu,
Innovativeness on the menu
27
2%
from appetizers to desserts and cocktails. Fresh
claims do not just Top 15 Frozen/Blended Drink Growth Flavors
1.
Reese’s
Pieces
A restaurant that is willing to
extend to fruits and vegetables but also to how freshly made all
20
2.cater
Marshmallow
to special dietary needs
types food and drink are prepared and portrayed. As more and
3. Banana Cream Pie
Non-Alcoholic
Blended/Frozen
Flavors
more
restaurants such
as Noodles & Beverage
Company and
most recently
list Pie
4
4.Extensive
Chocolatewine
Cream
Outback Steakhouse begin conveying the freshness of their
5. Goji
Valet
parking
3
food, emphasis
on ingredient sourcing
execution
6. Hershey’s Caramel
Leading
Popular and culinary
Emerging
7. Hot Caramel
is necessary
so fresh is not just Flavors
seen as another
added menu
Flavors
Flavors
8.
Mango
Pineapple
Top
20 &Ingredients
with Fresh
descriptorStrawberry
or a marketing tactic.
Hazelnut
Berry
9.
Mint Chocolate
Chip
Claims
or
Fresh
Preparations
Lemon
(ade)
Pomegranate
Peach
10. Mocha & Almond
Give new
meaning
to “free”
11. Greens
11.1. Vegetables
Mocha & Fudge
Orange
Kiwi menus
Pineapple
The importance
of “free” on restaurant
has turned from
2.
Fruit
12. Beef
12.
Mountain
Blast
Watermelon
Mango
fat-free and
kids-eat-free to environmental
andApple
animal friendly
13.
Oreo
Cookie & Cream
3.
Tomato
13. Onion
Mango producing “free-from”
Raspberry ingredients
Lime such as
farming practices
14. Spice
4.
Lettuce
antibiotic-free meats and pesticide-free produce. Other “free”
15. Toasted Almond 14. Parmesan Cheese
5. Bread
15. Spinach
ingredients such as cage-free eggs and free-range poultry show
concern for the ethical treatment of animals and have become
6.
Romaine
Lettuce
16. Asparagus
Top 10 Frozen/Blended Marketing
Claims
popular on the menu.
7.
Mushroom
17. Avocado
1. Fresh
Ethical and “free-from” ingredients on restaurant menus imply
8. Real
Garlic
18. Biscuit
2.
It
seems
frozen/blended
drinks
are all the
quality
forlike
some
consumers, as these
ingredients
arerage,
perceived to 3.
9. Creamy
Basil
19. Wheat Bread
but
There
may
be implications.
a single reason,
but a having
4. Premium
havewhy?
favorable
taste
andnot
health
For others,
10.
Broccoli
20. Salsa
host
contributing
factors.
Smoothies,
for example,
these of
ingredients
on a menu,
regardless
of whether
they actually 5. Rich
6. 100% Pure
offer
several
benefits
for
consumers.
Some
choose
to
taste better or are healthier, shows a restaurant’s commitment to
7.
Original
Top
20 Ingredients with “Freehave
them asvalues
a snack
drink, others
asanimals
a mealare
replaceits customer’s
by considering
how
treated and 8. Soft
From” and Ethical Claims
ment,
or
simply
as
a
functional
drink
that
allows
them
how food is grown.
9. Special
1. Eggs
11. Mixed Greens
to get their daily fruit intake and be able to justify the
10. Signature
calories. For coffee drinkers, the Frappuccino-type
2. Chicken
12. Romaine Lettuce
beverages
offer
a changehas
in texture
flavor
to just
Ultimately, food
preparation
a direct and
impact
on quality.
3. Beef
13. Strawberries
Top 10 Frozen/Blended Ingredients
coffee,
while also helping them cool off. Frozen/
Whether an item is grilled, roasted, braised or wok-tossed, each
4. Potatoes
14. Avocados
blended alcoholic drinks (and even the non-alcoholic
1. Milk
cooking preparation imparts a unique flavor.
5. Ice
Apples
15. Niman Ranch Pork
2.
Cream
ones) are simply fun! They offer a refreshing blend of
Some restaurants
Lobster
3.
6. Juice
Carrots
16. Tropical Fruit
flavors
and evenlike
theRed
nice
cold have gone the extra-mile in
Strawberry
providingofa blended
one-of-a-kind
flavor experience
through
their cooking 4.
texture
or shaved
ice. They make
a great
7. Tomatoes
17. Cucumbers
preparations.
In 2008,
Lobster
invested
in oak-burning grills 5. Banana
social
beverage
and Red
go down
easy.
For operators,
8. Syrup
Bacon
18. Peppers
6.
to enhance
the flavor of its seafood. The chain retrofitted
these
are high-margin/bottom-line-friendly
menu 680 of 7. Whipped Cream
9. Scallions
19. Spinach
items
that sellwith
well,
and theygrills
are and
easysupplied
to add each
to the
its restaurants
wood-fired
restaurant 8. Frozen Beverage Base
10. Onions
20. Petaluma Chicken
menu
with minimal
investment
andthe
inventory.
A winwith a “certified
grill master”
to ensure
quality and
taste of
9. Malt Powder
“Free-from”
win
for everyone!
its food.
To go along with its new grilling technique, Red Lobster 10.
Pineappleand ethical claims include: additive-
Serving up Quality: Strategies and
Sharefor
of Non-Alcoholic
Blended/Frozen
Tips
Delivering
High Beverages
Quality
MenuSlush
Items
Lemonade
Why frozen/blended?
Invest in preparation
free, antibiotic-fee, cage-free, free-range,
hormone-free, nitrate-free and pesticide free
For more information about ConAgra Foodservice, please call 1-800-357-6543 or visit www.conagrafoodservice.com
Source
Menu Insights
Culinary Trends
Top 30 Cooking Preparations in
NEW Menu Items on Restaurant
Menus
offered 22 specially designed menu items including Wood-Grilled
Non-Alcoholic Blended/
Lobster, Shrimp and Scallops, Peach Bourbon BBQ Shrimp and
Scallops along with steak and chicken dishes.
Frozen Beverages
1. Grilled
16. Blackened
More recently, Brinker announced that it would be investing
The non-alcoholic blended/frozen beverage segment
$100 million into a Chili’s Bar and Grill kitchen overhaul over the
2.
Fried
17.
Char-grilled
has done well the last few years, with the number of
next three years. The kitchen renovations are being designed to
3. Roasted
18. Reduced
menu
items increasing
11% from a year ago, and up
reduce ticket times by an average of five minutes along with a
47%
since Q1 2006.19.The
segment is made
up pri4. Toasted
Steamed
new
point
of sale, back office systems and restaurant decor. This
marily
of
frozen
and
slush-type
drinks,
which
repre5. Baked
20. Basted
announcement
sent
a 50% and 38%
share, respectively. Lemonade, preceded Chili’s “Bottomless Express Lunch” menu
6. Sauteed
21. Char-broiled
program
and shows that Chili’s may be looking for a new faster
non-alcoholic daiquiris and non-alcoholic
margaritas
7.
Seared the rest of
22.the
Dried
serve
attract a larger lunch crowd. The kitchen overhaul
represent
top 5, with a 5%,
3%time
andto2%
8. Braised
Wood-grilled
will
also aid in in
the menu transformation efforts. In its second
share,
respectively,23.
while
the rest of the
beverages
quarterbeveranalyst call earlier this year, Brinker executives revealed
this
segment make24.
upSlow-roasted
the other 2%. Frozen
9. Caramelized
company
ages,
slush, and daiquiris
grew only 6%,that
8%the
and
20%, will be focusing on their menu to “deliver fresh
10. Deep-fried
25. Fire-roasted
quality
food that stays Top
true15
toFrozen/Blended
its unique culinary
respectively,
while
margaritas
declined
by
25%.
Drinkheritage
Flavors and
11. Freshly-baked
26. Mesquite-grilled
Lemonade saw the strongest growth, up
400%.
flavor
profile.”
1. Strawberry
12. Poached
27. Stewed
Restaurants do not have2.toChocolate
go as far as adding new equipment to
13. Pan-seared
28. Roasted
Banana
impart
quality into their 3.
cooking
techniques. Technique variety is a
Share
of
Non-Alcoholic
Blended/Frozen
Beverages
14. Sun-dried
29. Broiled
4. Vanilla
growing trend. For example,
Mintel Menu Insights finds 30 grilling
5. Mango
15. Pan-fried
30. Tempura
varieties, 23 ways of frying
(excluding stir-fried) and nine sautéing
6. Raspberry
Lemonade
Slush
preparations on menus in
Q1
2010. Adding variety to a popular
7.
Orange
5%
38%
cooking technique
differentiates your menu and shows that extra care,
time and planning have gone into the
8. Pineapple
creation of the menu.
9. Peach
Daiquiri
10. Mocha
3%
11. Berry
12. However,
Strawberry & Banana
People dine out for various reasons including
being too tired to cook.
Margarita
13. crave
Oreo Cookie
just because people don’t have time to cook doesn’t
mean
they
don’t
2%
14. Caramel
homemade
Frozen food. Whether large or small, homemade touches increase the actual
15. Coconut
and Beverage
perceived quality of a restaurant’s food. All Other
Home-grown food
50%
Beverages
Homemade food can also help maintain and possibly increase restaurant
Top 15 Frozen/Blended Drink Growth Flavors
2%
margins. Mintel found that the price of menu items with claims such as
1. Reese’s Pieces
“homemade,” “rustic” and “authentic” have steadily increased during a
2. Marshmallow
deflationary menu period, making this trend a win for consumers and
3. the
Banana Cream Pie
Non-Alcoholic Blended/Frozen Beverage Flavors
restaurant.
4. Chocolate Cream Pie
5. Goji
There are
many ways restaurants
can
apply the home-grown
trend:
6. Hershey’s
Caramel
Leading
Popular
Emerging
7. Hot
Caramel
• Restaurant-grown
is all about
being selective
with your ingredients
and
making it your own: Choose
Flavors
Flavors
Flavors
8. Mango
Pineapple can work with their
ingredients
that are rustic or
homemade toBerry
pepper into your menu.
Chain&restaurants
Strawberry
Hazelnut
9. Mint Chocolate Chip
suppliers
to
create
items
exclusive
to
the
operation.
Lemon (ade)
Pomegranate
Peach
10. Mocha & Almond
• Impart rustic
cooking techniques:
is the opposite of every
11. fancy
Mochacooking
& Fudgeterm. Tarts become
Orange
Kiwi Rustic Pineapple
12.
Mountain
Blast
hand-held
crostadas,
spices
are
coarsely
ground.
Use
Watermelon
Mango
Apple
13. Oreo Cookie & Cream
other descriptive
words
like
“country,”
“farm-stand,”
Mango
Raspberry
Lime
Average
14. Price
Spice of Menu Items Containing
“rural,” “harvest” and “coarse” to paint the picture of
Homemade
Ingredients,
Compared to
15. Toasted
Almond
the menu item and take careful steps to ensure the
Menu Items without Ingredient Claims
final product matches the description.
on Chain
Restaurant Menus
Top 10 Frozen/Blended Marketing Claims
• Rethink preparation and presentation: As
1. Fresh
restaurant-grown increases in popularity, menu
2. Real
items
will
start
to
look
more
imperfect
on
purpose.
It seems like frozen/blended drinks are all the rage,
3. Creamy
and may
fruit should
roughlyreason,
chopped
and
butVegetables
why? There
not bebe
a single
but
a
4. Premium
irregularly
sized andfactors.
baked-goods
should look
hand5. Rich
host
of contributing
Smoothies,
for example,
6. 100% Pure
made.
offer
several benefits for consumers. Some choose to
7. Original
have them as a snack drink, others as a meal replace8. Soft
ment, or simply as a functional drink that allows them
9. Special
Another
way daily
to increase
the quality
a menu
is justify the
to get their
fruit intake
andof
be
able to
10. Signature
to downsize
it. coffee
Downsizing
often the
has a
negative
calories.
For
drinkers,
Frappuccino-type
connotation,offer
but decreasing
size of a and
restaurant
beverages
a changethe
in texture
flavor to just
Top 10 Frozen/Blended Ingredients
menu has
positive
for both
coffee,
while
alsoimplications
helping them
coolthe
off.operator
Frozen/
and the consumer.
the operator,
reducing
the
blended
alcoholicFor
drinks
(and even
the non-alcoholic
1. Milk
2. Ice Cream
ones)
simply
fun!allows
They the
offer
a refreshing
blend of
numberare
of menu
items
restaurant
to devote
3. Juice
flavors
and even
the nice
cold
more resources
to menu
development,
back and
4. Strawberry
texture
of
blended
or
shaved
ice.
They
make
a
great
front-of-the-house training and allocation of its food cost dollars to higher quality ingredients. Downsizing
5. Banana
social
beverage
andago
down
also gives
restaurants
chance
toeasy.
revisitFor
theiroperators,
core menu concepts and
unique “flavors” and to get to know
6. Syrup
these
are
high-margin/bottom-line-friendly
menu
their customers better. For consumers, these changes will increase their
overall restaurant
experience and
7. Whipped
Cream
items
that sell
well,
and they
easy
add
to approach
the
satisfaction.
Menu
downsizing
is are
not an
“allto
else
fails”
to increasing
It should
8. Frozenquality.
Beverage
Base be a top
menu
with minimal
investment
and inventory. A win9. Malt Powder
consideration
for all restaurant
operators.
win for everyone!
10. Pineapple
Why frozen/blended?
Downsize your menu
For more information about ConAgra Foodservice, please call 1-800-357-6543 or visit www.conagrafoodservice.com
Source
Menu Insights