The 10 most alluring LTOs in August

Though August is typically a hot month for beverage LTOs, consumers showed more interest in entrees and shareable apps and sides, with no beverages making the top 10 most alluring LTOs list for the month. And while chicken really took July LTOs by storm, August burgeoned a greater amount of interest in beef-centric products, including two burgers, a beef burrito and beef nachos. Other tidbits: Queso’s still hot, and garlic seems to be gaining appeal.

Click ahead to see the 10 most appealing limited-time chain items from July through August, ranked from 10th to first, as indicated by Technomic’s 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.

Score: 58.6%

Domino’s line of Bread Twists were a hit with many consumers last month. The shareable side item comes in three flavors, two of which make our top 10 list for August. Almost three-fifths of consumers show interest in the Garlic Bread Twists, which feature the chain’s pan dough drizzled with buttery garlic and sprinkled with seasoning. They’re served with a side of marinara (a tomato base with garlic, basil and oregano) for dipping. The Bread Twists are included in Domino’s $5.99 choose any two or more mix-and-match menu.

Score: 60.4%

Just over three-fifths of consumers say they’d be likely to purchase this sandwich, which—like Domino’s Bread Twists—also comes in three flavor varieties. All of the Dunked Ultimate Chicken Sandwiches feature an all-white-meat chicken fillet on a warm brioche bun; the Garlic Parmesan version features a sauce of Parmesan cheese, roasted garlic and Italian herbs.

Sonic’s Bourbon BBQ variety is alluring to 57.8% of consumers, while the Buffalo version entices 54.6%.

Score: 60.8%

Nearly 61% of consumers show intent on ordering El Pollo Loco’s Chicken Bacon Cheddar Taco Platter, which is one of four new taco platters that debuted this summer. This variety features two tacos with chicken, bacon, smoked cheddar, caramelized onions, cabbage and pico de gallo, served with sides of rice and pinto beans.

Other platter versions that consumers show less interest in are Avocado Tacos al Carbon, Shrimp Mango Taco and the second-highest scoring Chicken Avocado (41.6%).

Score: 61.2%

More than three in five consumers say they’d order this fast-casual chain’s Summer BBQ Burger, which was only available through Aug. 8. The returning burger featured two Angus beef patties layered with barbecue pulled pork, coleslaw, white cheddar and American cheese and pickles on a buttered and toasted potato bun. It was priced at $8.97.

Score: 62.2%

More than three-fifths of consumers show intent on purchasing the new fried chicken dish on Tony Roma’s 2.0 Menu of new and returning items. The entree is served with chicken gravy, mashed potatoes and seared garlic green beans.

Other items on the 2.0 Menu didn’t fare as well with consumers: Slightly fewer consumers (57.4%) show interest in the Quarter Rack of Pork-Strami Ribs, while just 34.2% are enticed by Roasted Corn (Off The Cob) and 33.6% find Pepper Jack Shrimp Poppers alluring.

Score: 63%

Just slightly more consumers would order this burger than the fried chicken item from the previous slide. Available through Aug. 31 on the chain’s Classics with a Twist menu, the Cheddar Stuffed Burger features ground beef stuffed with cheddar cheese and topped with bacon-onion jam, lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, pickles and mayonnaise on a toasted bun. It’s served with seasoned fries for $8.99.

Other items on Shoney’s Classics with a Twist menu include Salted Caramel Bonuts and Bacon Parmesan-Crusted Chicken, which appeal to 57% and 55.2% of consumers, respectively.

Score: 64%

The queso trend is not slowing down. Almost two in three consumers say they’d order this $1 value burrito. It features seasoned ground beef, seasoned rice, red tortilla strips and queso wrapped in a warm flour tortilla. Launched in tandem, Taco Bell’s Queso Beef Nachos only appeal to 51.2% of consumers. The $1 item tops a bed of tortilla chips with queso and seasoned ground beef.

Score: 65.4%

Though Taco Bell’s Queso Beef Nachos didn’t fare as well with consumers, almost two-thirds of consumers say they’d buy Mi Cocina’s limited-time nacho version. The shareable appetizer features picadillo beef, beans, queso, guacamole and crema.

Score: 68%

More than two-thirds of consumers say they would be likely to purchase this returning pizza. Previously marketed as the Monster Toppings XL Pizza, the 16-inch Double XL Pizza is topped with extra-large deli-style pepperoni, extra-large Italian sausage and the chain’s regular Italian sausage. It was available for $12 at participating locations.

Score: 70.4%

Coming in at No. 1 in the top 10 most alluring August LTOs list is Domino’s other Bread Twist option, Parmesan. More than seven in 10 consumers say they would be likely to purchase this version, which features the chain’s pan dough drizzled with garlic and Parmesan cheese seasoning, then sprinkled with more Parmesan. Like the Garlic Bread Twists, the Parmesan variety is also served with a side of marinara dipping sauce.

The pizza chain is marketing the line of Bread Twists as “the best thing since sliced bread.”