A lot of people went to BJ’s Restaurants to order a secret menu item last quarter.
Sales of the off-menu Pizookie Platter increased 17-fold after the dish went viral on TikTok, executives for the chain said Thursday.
The Pizookie Platter, aka the Jumbo Pizookie, is a shareable version of BJ’s popular ice cream cookie dessert that is essentially four Pizookies in one.
It began to gain traction on TikTok in January, with users posting their Pizookie Platter concoctions. BJ’s marketing team then jumped on the trend, helping to drive more attention to it. As of Thursday, it had generated 57 million impressions, and BJ’s had sold 24,000 Pizookie Platters, 17 times more than usual.
The surge in interest contributed to a 1.7% same-store sales increase at BJ’s in the first quarter, which included a 2.7% traffic increase.
And it was part of a sharper focus on Pizookies at BJ’s. A $13 combo meal featuring the dessert, the Pizookie Meal Deal, has also helped drive traffic, particularly among lower-income customers.
The meal, launched in September, features a choice of entree, a side and a Pizookie. It’s available Monday through Friday for a limited time.
“It's something that people are coming and seeing and coming back for,” said CFO Thomas Houdek, according to a transcript from financial services site AlphaSense.
The deal helped make 200-unit BJ’s one of the few publicly traded restaurant chains to report positive same-store sales during the first three months of the year as the industry battled weather, calendar shifts and a heavy dose of consumer uncertainty.
BJ’s President Lyle Tick acknowledged that uncertainty, but said the chain has not seen any marked changes in customer behavior in terms of traffic or check management, besides the uptick in Pizookie Meal Deal orders.
“In times of uncertainty … when consumers may have less transactions to give, they're really focusing on that experience being worth it,” he said. “I think our atmosphere, service and food is compelling in that regard.”
The quarter was also BJ’s most profitable ever on a restaurant-level basis, with margins increasing 100 basis points to 16% thanks to stronger sales and labor productivity. That generated $55.6 million in four-wall profits for BJ's, and the chain upped its profit outlook for the year as a result.
The Huntington Beach, California-based chain is in the midst of a turnaround focusing on improving its core menu items of pizza, Pizookies and craft beer and upgrading its service and atmosphere.
It has started with a total revamp of its pizza, including new crust, sauce, cheese and toppings.
BJ’s stock was up nearly 10% on Friday morning.
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