When Subway began overhauling its menu almost three years ago, the culinary team focused on upgrading ingredients and creating chef-curated subs to speed the line. “Our snacking business was limited to regular cookies and bags of chips,” said Paul Fabre, SVP of culinary and innovation for the Miami-based chain.
But like others in the industry, Subway is always mining research data and watching foot traffic. “We noticed that consumers were eating multiple times a day,” said Fabre. “With more than 20,000 locations, we saw a lot of accessibility to make snacking easy and convenient, as there’s always a Subway nearby.”
The snacking tsunami
America has become a nation of nibblers. Sure, there’s always been a call for between-meal snacks, but post-pandemic, the frequency of anytime, anywhere eating has gained traction. In a 2023 survey, data and analytics company GlobalData found that 43% of U.S. consumers snack daily or a few times a week. And 33% claim that convenience is an essential feature when making a snack purchase.
“For many time-poor consumers, the notion of sitting down for a proper meal may seem too challenging or inefficient,” said Meenakshi Haran, lead analyst at GlobalData. While convenience stores and other retail outlets may have a monopoly on packaged snacks, quick-service restaurants are jumping on the bandwagon to launch more inventive snack options that reflect their menu’s DNA.
For Subway, that meant tapping into its iconic footlong sandwich.
R&D began when Fabre and his team created a signature footlong chocolate chip cookie to offer at Subway’s National Cookie Day Cookieway pop-up in December 2022. The limited-edition cookies were a hit, gone in two hours.
Soon after Subway launched its Sidekicks line of footlong churros, chocolate chip cookies and pretzels, snack sales surged. | Photo courtesy of Subway.
The enormous demand for the cookies and the brand equity of the footlong convinced Subway to go down this avenue with its new Sidekicks line, said Fabre. The line debuted in January with three snacks on offer.
The trio includes the original Footlong Chocolate Chip Cookie ($5), reworked with more chips and a gooier texture; the Cinnabon Footlong Churro ($2); and the Auntie Anne’s Footlong Pretzel ($3).
“We looked at various partnerships and these are beloved brands that deliver really good snacks and offer brand equity,” said Fabre. He worked with the teams at Cinnabon and Auntie Anne’s to develop the proprietary products; both brands are part of GoTo Foods, which is owned by Roark Capital—the same private-equity firm that recently purchased Subway.
So far, the snacks are exceeding expectations. By February, Subway reported selling more than 3.5 million Sidekicks in two weeks.
“People come in and order a Sidekick to have as snack, or buy multiples to share as afternoon snacks,” said Fabre. “They’re a quick addition and offer great value for the guest.” Several new Sidekick ideas are already in the pipeline, with more snacking innovation to come, he added.
Balancing sweet and savory
A mix of sweet and savory snack choices seems to be a winning formula, as consumers’ cravings seesaw between the two. Like Subway, Bojangles noticed more customers coming in during the afternoon and late-night dayparts, “so we designed new products that are portable and perfect to grab-and-go at the drive-thru,” said Tom Boland, CMO of the Charlotte, North Carolina-based chain.
The Bo’s Bird Dog launched at the beginning of April. It features the chain’s signature Chicken Supreme tender in a split-top hot dog bun topped with pickles and drizzled with Carolina Gold honey mustard-based barbecue sauce. The bun is the only new SKU.
Bojangles’ Bird Dog offers a portable, satisfying snack at a value price. | Photo courtesy of Bojangles.
The idea was hatched when Boland asked a Bojangles employee to name his favorite item on the menu. “He remembered his high school coach bringing a box of Supremes and hot dog buns to practice, and putting the two together,” said Boland. “We tested it in a few locations, varying the number of pickles and type of sauce until we came up with the right combination. The template works … we can change the toppings and sauce and create a new snack.”
Bojangles is selling the bird dogs at two for $5. There’s more flexibility in pricing with snacks, said Boland, but QSR snacks seem to hover under the $5 mark. That value price is a selling point, possibly attracting customers who don’t want to spring for a more expensive lunch item. So far, Bo’s Bird Dog is working to bring in new and current guests during different dayparts, Boland added.
To feed snackers’ cravings for sweets, Bojangles introduced the Bo-Berry Cookie at the same time, playing off the brand equity of another fan favorite: the Bo-Berry Biscuit. “We tried chocolate chip and sugar cookies, but nobody else has a Bo-Berry Cookie,” said Boland. It’s dotted with berries, like the biscuit, but comes without the white icing on top, for easier portability. Customers can ask for the icing on the side to drizzle on their own; the cookies are priced two for $1.50.
For those who prefer a sweet snack break, Bojangles introduced Bo-Berry Cookies. | Photo courtesy of Bojangles.
“The cookies fill a gap by driving net new incremental customers in mid-afternoon and late night,” said Boland. “We’ve seen more people coming in during off hours.”
To create another snacking occasion with its Bo-Berry Biscuit, Bojangles positioned a popular menu hack. “Customers, especially college kids, would order a sausage biscuit as a secret menu item, so we made it easier for them to order at the drive-thru by splitting our Bo-Berry Biscuit, layering on a sausage patty and putting the icing in the middle instead of the top,” said Boland. The sweet-savory LTO rolled out at the end of April. And another spin on the chain’s scratch-made buttermilk biscuits—a Peach Cobbler—is coming to the menu in July.
The popularity of Auntie Anne’s Pepperoni Nuggets earned the snack a place on the permanent menu. | Photo courtesy of Auntie Anne's.
These brands are built for snacking
Subway’s partnerships with Auntie Anne’s and Cinnabon reinforce those brands’ status as leading snack destinations. But they aren’t resting on their original cinnamon buns and pretzels to grab the current crop of nibblers.
“Consumers love the classics … but we have a robust menu innovation pipeline designed to attract customers with unique snack and treat offerings,” said Kristen Hartman, Specialty Category president at GoTo Foods. “As an example, in Q1, for Auntie Anne’s we had a very popular LTO—Pepperoni Nuggets—that has become a permanent menu item due to its massive success.” Auntie Anne’s has other pretzel nuggets in development, including variations with toppings like beer cheese and bacon as well as icing and cookie pieces to appeal to both sweet and savory cravings.
Beverages like Cinnabon’s Churro Chillatta are growing as a snack option. | Photo courtesy of Cinnabon.
Cinnabon’s most recent LTO, the Churro Chillatta, also performed incredibly well, she added. “A trend with consumers today is ‘drink as treat’ and this drink delivered on that,” said Hartman. It’s a combo of Cinnabon’s creamy blended beverage, the Chillata, with the cinnamon flavors of the churro.
This year, Carvel is celebrating its 90th birthday and GoTo Foods is celebrating with new snacks. In April, the treat concept introduced Ice Cream Pops that feature Carvel’s Original Soft Serve dipped in a variety of flavored coatings to create a sweet-crunchy shell. Orange Dreamy Creamy is the current limited-time flavor.
Carvel is rolling out new ice cream treats in celebration of its 90th birthday. | Photo courtesy of Carvel.
Then there’s the new co-branded GoTo Foods concept called Cinnabon Swirl, featuring Carvel soft serve. “Bringing these two brands together forms the ultimate sweet treat destination. Through thoughtful and creative menu innovation, we are expanding our position in snacking with this as the pinnacle,” said Hartman.
The menu offers classics from both Cinnabon and Carvel, as well as cool mashups. For example, there’s the Center of the Roll Sundae featuring a Cinnabon Center of The Roll topped with Carvel Soft Serve. The menu also brings together baked goods and ice cream with a line of signature Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches in flavors like Birthday Cake, Churro Chocolate Chip and Coffee Cookie Dough.
“Cinnabon Swirl … has the ability to seamlessly fit into different venues—malls, streetside and more—which gives us an opportunity to expand our reach and deliver the type of experience consumers today seek out,” said Hartman.
“We are anticipating 40-plus additional co-brand locations to open this year, including our first quad-brand locations in the Baltimore and Washington DC areas,” she added. Those four brands—Auntie Anne’s, Carvel, Cinnabon and Jamba—all target snackers and ease accessibility to grab-and-go options.
Graze Craze is another concept built on snacking—even its name says so—and its growth is a testament to the trend.
“There are lots of indies offering snacks, but there are few consistent options in snacking,” said Cory Hibbard, president of the 74-unit chain that’s based in West Palm Beach, Florida. “Although our business is 50-50 catering and snacking, we focus on individuals as well as groups, and snacks have always been part of the solution.”
Graze Graze offers four Char-Cutie-Cups at $8 apiece, filled with fresh ingredients that are a cut above standard deli fare. The Classic includes Irish cheddar, Italian soppresatta, sweet coppa, rosemary crackers, cracked pepper crackers, berries and tomatoes, while the Vegetarian focuses on cheeses, berries, tomatoes, cucumbers and asparagus. There’s also a Sweet & Savory variation and a Keto cup.
The Grab & Graze box is designed for snackers with larger appetites. It comes with house-baked seed bread, dark chocolate bark, an assortment of meats and cheeses, fruits, veggies and house-made dips like roasted red pepper hummus and dill mayonnaise. There’s also a vegetarian version; prices run about $12.
Snackers have the choice of four grab-and-go Char-Cutie-Cups at Graze Craze. | Photo courtesy of Graze Craze.
“We cross-utilize ingredients from our grazing boards geared to larger groups,” said Hibbard. “We want to keep operations simple and not bring in a lot of SKUs. The limited choice also makes it easy for consumers to make a decision.”
It takes a bit of education to get eaters to think of charcuterie as more than an appetizer or party food, versatile enough to be a snack, Hibbard added. But he believes Graze Craze is hitting the sweet spot as far as price point, value and quality. Up next are dessert options and retail products, such as olive oil, jams, dips and even wine.
“Graze Craze fills a void for fresh, convenient, consistent snacks,” Hibbard contends.
Who’s feeding late-night cravings?
Late-night dining culture seemed to die out during and after the pandemic, but some full-service restaurants are bringing it back with menus of chef-driven snacks and bar bites. Affordability is a big draw.
A late-night menu gives diners an opportunity to have elevated cuisine for a smaller check, said Jonas Brewis, area director of operations for Indigo Road Hospitality Group in Charlotte, North Carolina. At Mizu atop the Hyatt Centric hotel, there’s half-priced sushi and Robata-grilled snacks from 9-11 p.m. Sushi rolls are $8-$15 and yakitori skewers are priced $5 and $6.
It’s a win for Mizu as well as the guests.
“The restaurant was busy from 6 to 8 p.m., but late evening was a weak spot,” said Brewis. “We were paying rent anyway, so we figured we might as well build revenue. Plus, in Charlotte, there are not a lot options past 9 p.m.”
Response has been positive so far, especially from hotel guests and industry folks.
Enso in Louisville, Kentucky, also introduced late-night snacking recently. Grilled skewers are available for $6 each, offered a la carte so guests don’t have to commit to a large portion.
Grilled skewers are sized and priced right to feed late-night cravings at Enso. | Photo courtesy of Enso.
Chef Lawrence Weeks was more ambitious when he launched the late-night happy hour, offering half the dinner menu. But it seems that snacking has taken over this time slot too—Enso is gaining traction in Louisville from the city’s night owls.
The customers are out there. Kellanova’s 2024 Late Night Snacking Survey reports that 30% of adults snack late at night. You just have to get them out of the house.