Foodservice fancies

Prepared Foods, March, 2003 by Julia M. Gallo-Torres

* Ethnic foods have crept into non-ethnic chains.

* Fruits and alcohol gain momentum.

* Desserts continue to thrive.

* Price is important.

Food developers watch the foodservice sector carefully, as today's restaurant entrees often inspire tomorrow's grocery store fare. In spite of the sluggish U.S. economy, consumers last year did not scale back on restaurant dining as much as scaled down the types of foods they eat and establishments they visited.

According to data provided by Food Beat[TM], Wheaton, Ill., which focused on the last half of 2002, restaurateurs were perceptive enough to understand that this is not a good time to raise restaurant prices. "Only 15.1% of menu items in the second half of 2002 showed a price increase. That's a smaller number when compared to 19% in the first half of 2002 and smaller still when compared to 27% during the first half of 2001," states Diane Fox, partner, Food Beat. Conversely, 1.3% of menu items tracked in the database experienced a price decrease, suggesting operators recognize that cutting prices is not the way to build business. "Questions such as how to increase check averages and how to attract more people to an establishment continue to be important;' she notes.

Flavor and Fruit Trends

While prices decreased, the number of ethnic offerings on menus increased. For many Americans, their first exposure to ethnic foods occurs in restaurants. However, today's Generation Y has grown up in a world that has experienced more food diversity than generations past, and this demographic has adopted many ethnic foods as regular fare. "Consumers are looking for these choices wherever they eat. Chains are jumping on the global bandwagon to deliver those expectations," explains Fox.

For example, Mexican and Thai foods can be found in chains that do not specialize in those cuisines. A Morning Quesadilla, a flour tortilla stuffed with scrambled eggs, bacon, peppers, onions, black beans, cilantro, cheddar and jack cheeses, and tomatillo sauce, was available at Cheesecake Factory, Calabasas Hills, Calif., $8.95; and a Thai Peanut Sandwich, chicken chunks, light plain cream cheese, Thai peanut sauce, lettuce, cucumber and sprouts, was on the menu at Bruegger's Bagel Bakery, Burlington, Vt., $4.29. The Hispanic dessert, dulce de leche, showed up under its namesake at T.G.I. Friday's, Dallas, $3.99.

Tropical fruits also had their day in the second half of 2002--both fruits that are well established such as banana and pineapple, and newer ones such as mango. All in all, bananas tended to be part of a dessert or smoothie, and their usage increased by 18%; pineapple was up by 16%, and mango soared by 21%. Another trend Fox notes is that tropical fruits often were blended together. Some examples: Groovie Smoothie with bananas, strawberries and vanilla ice cream at Red Robin, Englewood, Col., $3.49; Pineapple Mango Banana Smoothie at Atlanta Bread, Smyrna, Ga., $3.59; and BananaBerry Freeze at LongHorn Steakhouse, Atlanta, $1.99.

Pineapple appeared over a wide range of meal parts and included Thai Chicken Buffalitos Topped with Pineapple at Buffalo Wild Wings, Minneapolis, $5.49; Jamaican Chicken Marinated in Pineapple Soy and Ginger at Hops, Madison, Ga., $10.00; and Grilled Citrus Chicken with Pineapple Mango Citrus Salsa at T.G.I. Friday's, Dallas, $8.49.

Mango experienced a usage pattern similar to pineapple, as an ingredient in sauces and salsas. Case in point: Jamaican Jerk Pork with Apple Mango Salsa at Bahama Breeze, Orlando, Fla., $10.95; Ham Almondine Sandwich with Mango Chutney Cream Cheese at La Madeleine, Dallas, $6.79; and Mango Chicken Stir Fry Chicken Breast with mangoes, onions, bean sprouts and carrots at P.F. Chang's, Scottsdale, Ariz., $10.95.

Distinguished Soups and Sandwiches

The sandwich is a tasty, filling meal that continues to be offered inexpensively, and sales in this area experienced significant growth, with a 27% increase during the second half of 2002. In addition to traditional meat-based offerings, there were meatless additions such as Leonardo de Veggie, made up of light herb garlic cream cheese, roasted red pepper, muenster cheese, lettuce, tomato and red onion at Bruegger's Bagel Bakery, Burlington, Vt., $3.79. Also new was a Mediterranean Roasted Portabella Sandwich, with a roasted portabella mushroom cap, lettuce and Swiss cheese on a focaccia roll with roasted garlic olive oil tapenade, at La Madeleine, Dallas, $6.99.

One observation has been that sandwich operators are using specialty breads to distinguish their products. Fox notes, "Unspecified bread mentions decreased by 25% over the past four years.

More attention is being paid to the type of bread. It's a simple way to improve the perceived value of the sandwich." Breads gaining mention on menus included: lavashe, brioche, focaccia, rustic ciabatta, Cuban bread, toasted potato rye bread, sourdough bread and hardy French roll.

Moved by global forces and bold flavors, the soup sector offered regionally-inspired items such as Tortilla, Gumbo, Cuban Black Bean, Gazpacho and other soups described with adjectives such as rich, hearty, tarragon-seasoned, spicy and flavorful. While Food Beat did not register any new soups with the name "vegetarian," two notable meatless additions were: Monterrey Mushroom Soup, consisting of shiitake, portabella and button mushrooms in a tarragon seasoned cream base, at J. Alexander's, Nashville, Tenn., $4.00; and Vedalia Onion Soup, with a three-cheese gratinee and tobacco onion straws, at Allie's American Grille, Washington, D.C., $4.95.