Restaurants are rolling out more limited-time offers than ever before, with launches up 19% year over year as of November. And 2025 is tracking to be 10% higher overall, according to Technomic Ignite Menu data.
Limited-service restaurants have a slight lead over full-service concepts in LTO introductions—50% versus 44%—but convenience stores are building up their pipelines, accounting for 6% of debuts in late fall.
Sandwiches and burgers remain popular platforms for menu innovation and seem to generate the most consumer appeal, finds Technomic. When consumers were asked to rate LTOs as to those they would be most likely to purchase, these five ranked the highest based on their menu descriptions:
Tim Hortons’ Scrambled Egg Croissant Sandwich: Freshly scrambled seasoned eggs, melted cheddar cheese and a choice of double-smoked bacon or sausage on a toasted and freshly baked croissant
TacoTime’s Grilled Steak Burrito: A blend of cheddar and pepper Jack cheeses, grilled steak, seasoned rice and fire-roasted corn and black bean mix, hand-rolled in a flour tortilla
Hardee’s Grilled Cheese Breakfast Sandwich with Bacon: Crispy, cherrywood-smoked bacon, topped with melty American and Swiss cheeses and a fried egg, served on perfectly toasted, buttery sourdough bread
Perkins’ BBQ Pot Roast Burger: 100% Angus beef patty loaded up with cheddar cheese, crispy bacon, onion tangler and tender, braised pot roast that’s topped with a barbecue sauce, all on a brioche bun
BurgerFi’s Steak Hangover Burger: Sizzling shaved steak, caramelized onions, crispy bacon, melty cheese, a runny yolk egg and boom sauce on a toasted potato bun.
There’s a trend among these top LTOs to include words in the menu descriptions that motivate purchase. “Fresh,” “melty cheese,” “hand-rolled,” “caramelized,” “sizzling,” “buttery” and “tender” are all alluring adjectives that show off innovation and can tempt consumers.
The same is evident in the top items rated by “draw,” which Technomic translates to “drives incremental traffic.” These LTOs tend to be a little more adventurous than burgers and breakfast sandwiches. At the top of the rankings is Bonefish Grill’s Fall Scallop and Shrimp Salad with pickled red onions and roasted grape tomatoes in a creamy citrus vinaigrette topped with roasted butternut squash croutons. Close behind is Lazy Dog’s Tikka Masala Meatballs, a dish composed of chicken meatballs topped with a spiced tomato curry sauce, cooling cucumber drizzle and micro cilantro.
When it comes to ranking LTOs for “craveability,” which is said to drive incremental sales, a beverage earned the top spot. Consumers in the survey craved the Oatmeal Crème Pie Latte Blender at Scooter’s Coffee—an espresso drink paired with white mocha and blended with a Little Debbie Snacks Oatmeal Crème Pie, then finished with whipped cream and a mini oatmeal cookie. A Pumpkin Coffee High Protein Smoothie from Smoothie King also got high marks for its combo of organic pumpkin, dates, cold brew, almonds, milk, spices and proteins.
Consumers’ opposing cravings for indulgence and health are very much in play in the beverage category.
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