April's 10 most alluring LTOs
By Jill Failla on May 02, 2017About one in four consumers say limited-time offers drive them to make purchases at limited-service restaurants, and even more consumers—about one in three—say LTOs are important at family-style and casual-dining chains, shows Technomic’s Future of LSR and Future of FSR Consumer Trend Reports. But some items may drive purchases more than others. What types of items do customers jones for the most?
Breakfast items—from savory breakfast burritos to sweet Belgian waffles and French toast—are particularly popular as limited-time offerings, according to new data from Technomic. (Fruit-infused syrups help too.)
Overall, here are the 10 most appealing limited-time chain entrees from April, ranked from tenth to first, as indicated by Technomic's new MenuSurf survey. The canvass of 500 consumers on purchase intent for 100 or more LTOs shows which are the most likely to be ordered on the basis of the item's name and description.
10. Not Your Average Joe’s Grilled Heritage Pork Chop
Score: 43.2%
More than two in five consumers (43.2%) say they would be very likely to purchase this springtime pork chop LTO. Not Your Average Joe’s bone-in pork chop is served with crispy Spanish-style potatoes topped with a spicy pepper sauce and arugula.
9. Mendocino Farms’ K-Town BBQ Steak Sandwich
Score: 43.2%
Tied with the previous item, over two-fifths of consumers (43.2%) say they would order this seasonal sandwich. Mendocino Farms’ K-Town BBQ Steak Sandwich contains bulgogi-style marinated steak, housemade gochujang sauce, kimchi-kale slaw, jalapenos and chili aioli on toasted ciabatta.
8. Hopdoddy Burger Bar’s Doddy Dip Burger
Score: 45.0%
More than two in five respondents say they would be likely to try this limited-time burger. Hopdoddy’s Doddy Dip Burger tops a beef patty with roast beef, caramelized onions, provolone cheese, horseradish mayonnaise, tomato, lettuce and jus on an egg bun.
7. Hardee’s Aporkalypse Biscuit and Burrito
Score: 47.8%
Almost half of consumers say they would order both the Aporkalypse Biscuit and the Aporkalypse Burrito, available at Hardee's for a limited time. The pork-themed breakfast items contain slices of ham, sausage patties, bacon pieces and folded eggs and American and Swiss cheeses on either a scratch-made buttermilk biscuit or wrapped in a flour tortilla.
6. Seasons 52’s Brick Oven Brioche French Toast
Score: 48.6%
Nearly half of respondents say they would order this spring French toast dish. The upscale casual-dining chain’s brioche French toast is topped with blueberry-infused maple syrup and whiskey-smoked brown-sugar pecans.
5. First Watch’s AB&J Waffle
Score: 52.8%
About half of consumers say they would be likely to buy this seasonal breakfast item from the breakfast-and-lunch-only chain. This Belgian waffle is topped with warm almond butter, strawberry sauce, fresh strawberries and housemade granola.
4. Applebee’s Caprese Mozzarella Burger
Score: 53.6%
More than half of respondents say they would order this burger, available on Applebee’s 2 for $20 menu for a limited time. The casual-dining chain sears sauteed garlic and onion into the beef patty and tops it with balsamic aioli, grilled tomatoes and red onions, basil and fresh mozzarella.
3. Au Bon Pain’s Turkey Swiss BLT
Score: 54.4%
Over half of consumers say they would order Au Bon Pain's seasonal sandwich, featuring turkey, Swiss cheese, bacon, tomatoes, greens and mayonnaise on a toasted sprouted-grain roll.
2. The Habit Burger Grill’s Golden Chicken Salad
Score: 54.8%
More than half of respondents say they would buy this limited-time salad. The Habit’s Golden Chicken Salad contains buttermilk-battered chicken breast, greens, feta cheese, tomatoes, crumbled bacon, red onions, carrots and cilantro, tossed in housemade cilantro-lime ranch dressing.
1. Cracker Barrel Old Country Store’s Multiberry Pancake Breakfast
Score: 57.2%
Nearly three-fifths of consumers say they would be likely to purchase this breakfast dish, which positions the seasonal addition as the most alluring LTO on a restaurant chain menu in April.
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store’s Multiberry Pancake Breakfast features three buttermilk pancakes griddled with blueberries in the batter and topped with fresh strawberries and warm raspberry syrup. The meal comes with two eggs and a choice of hickory-smoked bacon, smoked sausage patties or turkey sausage.