A consumer survey shows that the name and description of a menu item can encourage purchase intent. | Photo: Shutterstock
Today’s diners say they love to explore unique flavors and cuisines, but when it comes to limited-time offers from chains, they’re most likely to purchase the familiar.
That’s the latest from Restaurant Business’ sister company, Technomic, where monthly surveys reveal the menu items consumers would order, given just their names and descriptions. This spring, chicken and bacon rose to the top, with sweets close behind. Here is the ranking, in descending order, rounded off to the nearest percentage point.
10. Steakhouse Bacon Whopper
This LTO from Burger King features a quarter-pound flame-grilled beef patty, topped with bacon, tomatoes, lettuce and melted Swiss, finished with A.1. sauce, crispy onions and creamy peppercorn aioli. The burger build got a high approval rating from consumers, with 53% saying they would purchase it.
9. Lemon Garlic Chicken
Chicken is the most popular protein, and this prep from family-dining chain Bob Evans checks all the boxes. The entrée is generously portioned with two grilled chicken breasts sauced with garlic butter and served with a grilled lemon for drizzling. Guests get freshly baked bread a choice of two sides with each order. That description convinced 53% of respondents to say they would purchase it.
8. Bacon Mac ‘N Cheese
Consumers can’t seem to get enough mac ‘n cheese, especially when it comes with bacon. This version from Black Bear Diner is made with white cheddar cheese and topped with bacon and Parmesan cheese. Garlic-Parmesan toast is served alongside. Fifty-three percent of those surveyed said they would purchase this double-cheese, bacon-topped mac ‘n cheese.
7. Grilled Chicken Philly Sandwich
Fast-casual Zaxby’s specializes in chicken, and combines it with other popular ingredients in this grilled Chicken Philly Sandwich. The menu description reads like this: Marinated grilled chicken, white American cheese, grilled onions and peppers, and garlic aioli on a toasted hoagie roll. The sandwich also has a flavorful sauce in its favor, something that differentiates it from competitors. Of those consumers surveyed, 54% said they would likely purchase it.
6. Chicken Bacon Ranch Toasted Sandwich
Put “ranch” in a menu description, and it draws immediate attention; it’s one of Americans’ favorite condiments. Jimmy John’s capitalized on its popularity with this toasted sandwich. It’s layered with all-natural chicken, bacon, provolone, lettuce, tomato, onion and mayo—and a good dose of ranch dressing. In the Technomic survey, 54% of consumers gave the sandwich a thumbs up for purchase intent.
5. Chocolate Milkshake
Sweets move into the top 10 with this chocolate milkshake from Zaxby’s. It shows that chocolate never goes out of style with consumers, 54% of whom said they would purchase it after seeing that simple name. The menu description goes into more detail: A hand-spun chocolate milkshake topped with whipped cream, sprinkles and a cherry. With unique flavors like ube, salted caramel and lavender moving into milkshake territory, chocolate still reigns supreme.
4. Smokehouse BBQ Bacon Sandwich
Bacon enters the rankings again in Chick-fil-A’s Smokehouse BBQ Bacon Sandwich. The sandwich layers a breaded, boneless breast of chicken, pressure cooked in 100% refined peanut oil, and served on a toasted, buttery sweet yeast bun with Colby-Jack cheese, bacon hand-tossed in a brown sugar and pepper blend, and green leaf lettuce, then topped with Smokehouse BBQ sauce. Respondents liked that detailed description, with 55% saying they would order the sandwich. The details about the frying oil were interesting, since there’s a lot of negative buzz around seed oils, but peanut oil is usually not lumped into that category.
3. Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Ice Cream
Baskin-Robbins combines two well-loved ingredients into one limited-time ice cream, a combo that appealed to 56% of those surveyed. The description says it all: Cheesecake and chocolate cheesecake-flavored ice cream with chocolate chips, cheesecake pieces and cookie crumb swirls.
2. Red Velvet Cake Cheesecake
Cheesecake shows up again as a top pick in Captain D’s Red Velvet Cake Cheesecake. The dessert features red velvet cake and creamy classic cheesecake layered with rich cream cheese icing and finished with white chocolate curls. “Made exclusively by The Cheesecake Factory Bakery” is called out in the description, a connection that resonates with consumers—especially in a quick-service chain. Fifty-six percent of respondents would purchase the cake.
1.Single Cheeseburger Basket
The only outlier from the chicken, bacon, sweets-focused LTOs is this Single Cheeseburger Basket from family-dining chain Black Bear Diner. It’s super-basic: A 3.2-ounce all-beef patty, topped with American cheese, tomato, dill pickle chips, red onion, green leaf lettuce, mayonnaise and house-made Thousand Island dressing on a grilled brioche bun, served with a choice of side. But basic is beautiful to 58% of consumers, who ranked this the No. 1 item they would purchase after reading the name and description.
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