Family dining is having a bit of an identity crisis. Or maybe it’s a midlife crisis. Either way, the major players in the sector are taking a hard look at their menus to get to a new generation of families in the door.
Let’s face it, many of their steady customers are getting older. They still come in for the hearty breakfasts, homestyle cooking and indulgent baked goods that have earned these restaurants their following. The chains can’t take those off the menu. But millennial parents—who now make up most of the “families” in the U.S.—are looking for more flavor excitement and innovative food and drink items. At times they want a full-service, sit-down meal, at other times they crave convenience.
And every generation is looking for value.
“Whenever something is standing still, innovation happens,” said Mindy Armstrong, VP of menu innovation at Perkins American Food Co.
And the family dining sector has been virtually standing still since 2019.
The secret to moving the menu forward is finding the right balance between innovation and familiarity in family dining, say the five brands interviewed for this story. While they are looking at all aspects of their business for growth, their menus are getting the most attention right now.
What is family dining anyway?
Family dining has lost its way a bit, admits Amy Litzinger, VP of brand management for Bob Evans Restaurants. “Millennials are a large cohort that doesn’t know what it’s about. We have to tell younger customers that we offer great food at a fantastic value,” she said.
Value is family dining’s strong suit, especially in these inflationary times when a fast-food order can cost more than a sit-down meal at one of these chains.
Restaurant Business sister company Technomic categorizes family dining with midscale restaurants, offering this definition: “Midscale restaurants are full service, with moderate menu pricing, generally around $18 or less per person. Many do not sell alcohol, but if they do, it is limited to beer and/or wine. Breakfast orientation often defines this segment.”
Midscale is a service segment, while family style is a menu category within full-service, said Kevin Schimpf, director of industry research for Technomic. Family dining encompasses both.
While breakfast is a busy daypart for Bob Evans, the 430-unit chain wants to convey the message that “we’re not just for breakfast anymore,” said Litzinger. Indeed, New Albany, Ohio-based Bob Evans is “repackaging” rather than overhauling its menu by upgrading ingredients, introducing new flavors and strengthening lunch and dinner offerings.
“We’re picking one thing we want to do better at a time and rolling that out,” she added.
Bob Evans upgraded its salads with an arugula mix and high-quality proteins like grilled steak. | Photo courtesy of Bob Evans.
Salads are the latest to get a refresh, with a menu of five core salads all with the same base to ease operations. “We greened up the greens,” said Litzinger, upgrading to an arugula mix with carrots and red cabbage added for color. Grilled steak is now a protein option, along with higher-quality chicken.
“But we don’t forget value while we’re playing around with arugula,” she said. Bob Evans is testing a $22.99 dinner for two in Florida, which includes an appetizer, entrée and dessert.
“We get fantastic value scores,” said Litzinger. Bob Evans will continue to barbell the menu, offering breakfast for as little as $5.99, but steak and seafood options for those looking for something more. “We have new friends to be aware of,” she said. “First Watch in the morning and Applebee’s after 4 p.m. But we offer a better experience than quick-service and guests can sit down for almost the same price.”
Core and explore
“We’re competing with anyone who serves food; the lines are really blurring,” said Arthur Carl, VP of culinary at IHOP. Last year, he challenged his team to come up with 20 new items a month, and IHOP now has 300 new foods and drinks filling the pipeline. This year, the Glendale, California-based chain is calling the initiative “24 in ’24.”
“Core and explore” is the driving force for Carl and his team, with 80% of R&D devoted to the core menu and 20% to exploring new and unique flavor profiles and ideas. “Innovation was driven by the directive ‘these are the things we’d like you to do, but you can reach a little further,’” said Carl. “Millennials are the bullseye and that, in turn, will capture more families.”
IHOP’s line of Benedicts showcases house-made ingredients and on-trend flavors. | Photograph courtesy of IHOP.
Breakfast is IHOP’s equity and it’s served all day. The recently introduced line of Benedicts boasts quality ingredients with elevated flavors, like fire-roasted poblanos, roasted cherry tomatoes, nut-free pesto and house-made Hollandaise. Crepes and biscuits offer both savory and sweet flavor profiles to feed those all-day cravings.
Ultimate Steakburgers are another revitalized category, IHOP’s take on popular smashed burgers. These are layered with house-made additions, such as bacon jam and a crispy four-cheese disk that resembles an Italian frico.
“We’ve gotten very good feedback, and all these items will evolve and change with new flavor profiles and ingredients,” said Carl “We can slice and dice the ideas in our pipeline to put out new items all the time.”
Value comes on and off the menu through LTOs, he added. The Pancake of the Month is ongoing this year, changing with different toppings and flavor profiles. And Carl has more of the popular Pancake Tacos in the pipeline, filled with savory and sweet fillings, as well as a multitude of items engineered for value. IHOP can also rejigger the menu to roll out deals, such as the 2 x 2 x 2 Combo launched in June featuring two eggs, two meats and two pancakes for $6
Back-to-school season will also see a value push. “Money is tight at that time of year, and we can help guests stretch their dollars,” he said.
Innovation vs. complexity
While the goal of IHOP’s culinary team is to optimize the menu, operations is involved in the innovation conversation, too. “We want to offer the least amount of items to reach the most amount of guests,” said Carl, and “we have to make sure the menu is executed correctly.”
Cracker Barrel, which is currently optimizing its menu with 20 new items in test in Texas, is “not only thinking about what we’re making but how we’re making it,” said Cammie Spillyards-Schaefer, SVP of operations for the 650-unit family dining chain. “Operations must stay fast and efficient to deliver on hospitality.”
Although the Lebanon, Tennessee-based chain is always thinking about evolving the menu, she said, now it’s a bigger part of the strategy as “we refresh the look and feel of Cracker Barrel,” she said. “Balance” is the most important goal from a culinary viewpoint. “We want to keep the sweet spots that guests love but expand to new guests who want to use us differently.”
The Hashbrown Casserole Shepherd’s Pie is one of 20 new items in test at Cracker Barrel. | Photograph courtesy of Cracker Barrel.
“Craveable items with a twist,” is the mantra for the menu in test, according to Spillyards-Schaefer. The Hashbrown Casserole Shepherd’s Pie, for example, starts with savory, umami-rich pot roast and mashed potatoes, like the classic, but the crust on top is created with the kitchen’s hash brown casserole, smashed on a griddle to make it crispy. Guests have to break through the crust to get to the reward inside.
Green Chile Cornbread adds layers of flavor to the Southern staple with melty cheese, salted butter and a sweet drizzle of honey. And Creole Shrimp is a fresh take on a famous New Orleans dish, combining grilled shrimp in a garlic butter sauce, served with grilled Parmesan bread to sop up the sauce.
While breakfast items like Cinnamon Bread French Toast are also in test, “the goal is to broaden the dinner daypart with new, more current flavors and presentations,” said Spillyards-Schaefer. “But it’s still scratch-made country cooking; that’s our DNA.”
Like IHOP’s limited-time offers, Daily Specials are Cracker Barrel’s value incentive and get customers in the door to enjoy their favorites. Some specials are getting a makeover too. Monday’s Chicken and Rice has “been spruced up a little,” and Southern Barbecued Ribs are an addition.
For Cracker Barrel, the new guests it’s aiming for aren’t necessarily millennials with families. “The menu works across many cohorts,” said Spillyards-Schaefer, but speed is an important part of the experience for all guests.” Toward that end, Cracker Barrel is also testing new menu designs to make it easier to navigate by changing categories around.
The test is yielding positive results so far, and Spillyards-Schaefer has a good feeling about these items making it onto the permanent menu. That might mean taking some older items off or reworking the longtimers to execute them more efficiently. “We do as much research on deletions as we do on developing new items,” she said.
Redefining family friendly food
Like Cracker Barrel, Perkins American Food Co. is bent on removing complexity from the system so teams at the chain’s 300 restaurants can execute the menu with ease. The Memphis, Tennessee-based family dining chain recently rebranded from its longtime name, Perkins Restaurant & Bakery, and that kicked off the opportunity to refresh the menu, said Armstrong, VP of menu innovation.
“The new name allows us to redefine what American food and family dining is and modernize the menu by showcasing American melting pot flavors,” she said. Comfort foods, breakfast and the bakery will remain a focus, but the menu update plays up seasonality, flavorful sauces, freshness and on-trend ingredients as well.
Perkins American Food Co. balances indulgent choices like this burger with value-driven breakfasts. | Photo courtesy of Perkins American Food Co.
To attract new guests without alienating loyal fans, Perkins is targeting the menu to three customer archetypes. “Mom on the Move” seeks convenience and value, while “Live to Eat Lee” is that younger guest who likes to try new foods and flavors but doesn’t want to ruin his budget. “Fran” is Perkins’ core customer who loves turkey and dressing, pie and similar staples.
“We’ll continue to offer indulgent dinners with indulgent proteins while competing on value in real and relevant ways,” said Armstrong. She cites the “Great American Trio” of breakfast specials just launched, a deal that offers three choices: 5 under $5, 6 under $6 and 7 under $7, each including the numbered combo of pancakes, eggs and bacon. It’s served all day.
But the chain is also leveraging its bakery equity to test breakfast sandwiches on fresh-baked bread, for example, and reimagining its famous pies into handhelds that are more portable. These can cross over to Perkins’ new express concept, a fast-casual format slated for a fall debut.
A push for portability
Stacks of pancakes and meatloaf dinners are knife-and-fork meals, but family dining concepts have started adding more convenient handheld and portable items. While value is a priority for families, convenience is also a top driver of restaurant visits. According to a study by Affinity Group, 60% of families dine out specifically to save time and effort.
Spartanburg, South Carolina-based Denny’s is a destination for breakfast around the clock, offering best-selling signatures such as the Grand Slam breakfast platter as well as newer items like Salted Caramel Banana Pancakes and a Berry Waffle Slam. But “we know that staying relevant outside of breakfast is important, given most of our locations are open 24 hours per day,” said Kristen Didier, Denny’s VP of marketing. “In this past year, we also brought guests the new BBQ Bacon Chicken Sandwich and Crispy Chicken Bacon Ranch Sandwich.”
The chain further expanded its sandwich platform this summer, adding a new Spicy Brisket Melt, Sweet & Smoky BLT&E and Bacon Obsession Burger. These more portable items are more adaptable to digital ordering at Denny’s On Demand, “but they are also really delicious products that are just as wonderful for dine-in,” said Didier. The chain goes so far as to market the items with the tagline “It’s the Summer of Sandwiches.”
While most of the other family dining chains are starting to ramp up sandwich innovation, the category has always been key to Denny’s positioning as an “all-day diner.” “Family dining is a competitive space given consumers are so highly value driven,” said Didier. “While price is important to them, we also have an opportunity to add value and break through with food variety, craveable combinations, portion sizes and convenience.”
A boozier future?
Beverages are also getting more attention on family dining menus. Several players are upgrading coffee programs and expanding cold drink platforms with more lemonades, juices and house-made refreshers like those sold in daytime competitors such as First Watch and Snooze.
But a segment long known for teetotaling is also exploring more beverage alcohol options.
Cracker Barrel added alcohol to the menu in 2020 after a successful pilot test and has since expanded its reach. The list now includes beer, wine, strawberry and orange mimosas, sangria and hard cider, as well as seasonal drinks made with beer and wine. The chain doesn’t have a license to serve hard liquor, but “cocktails” such as the Glitter Globe Spritzer made with Moscato wine and cranberry juice, are available. “We’ll continue to innovate with seasonally changing mimosas,” said Spillyards-Schaefer.
Denny’s introduced three new sandwiches this summer to expand its selection of handhelds. | Photograph courtesy Denny's.
“Perkins has to have great breakfast beverages to go with our breakfast menu,” said Armstrong. A specialty coffee program is under consideration and seasonal juices are in place, but now mimosas are in test in seven states.
And although not widely known, some IHOP locations have full bars with seats while others will pour wine, beer and drinks to serve at the table. It’s up to the franchisee and location, “but we don’t discourage it,” said Carl. “We are currently working on a three-year beverage strategy and alcohol is in test, but it will continue to be voluntary.”