Despite the fancifying of food of late, some chain operators are focusing efforts on down-home, affordable and operationally efficient meatloaf. While consumer demand for meatloaf is high—with 43% saying they would order it for dinner, according to Technomic’s Center of the Plate: Beef & Pork Consumer Trend Report—we haven’t seen much attention given to meatloaf on menus in recent years until now.
So why is the staple such a strong motivator for operators today? Meatloaf’s a popular winter dish at restaurants because it’s hearty, protein-rich comfort food. This season, operators are featuring it as an LTO that stays within the bounds of their menu and concept positionings, so as not to overextend their offerings. Operators sticking to archetypal American favorites are unveiling meatloaf in its classic ground beef loaf format, while those with more eclectic positionings are using meatloaf to trial nontraditional formats and flavors with consumers, including new proteins and ethnic ingredients. Here’s how four chain restaurants are menuing meatloaf.