After a scorcher of a summer across much of the U.S., Schlotzsky’s believed customers would be ready to think about fall. So at the end of July, the Atlanta-based fast casual, one of the GoTo Foods brands, launched an Apple Harvest Turkey Sandwich and Apple Harvest Chicken Salad.
“Turkey always come through in the last quarter of the year, so that was top of mind,” said Jennifer Keil, executive chef for the 300-unit chain. “We do a smoked turkey at Schlotzsky’s, and it pairs really well with apples and other earthy, fruity flavors. People can kind of ‘reset’ with those flavors, start getting back to their routines with a new twist.”
While a sandwich seems like a simple item to develop, Keil wanted it to be bright, light and fresh enough to span two seasons. This limited-time promotion would start in summer but run through November. And she was intent on building an elevated turkey sandwich with layers of texture and flavor that customers would not likely make at home.
Condiments take command
With tart green apples and turkey as the starting points, Keil turned to the condiment shelf. She liked the idea of fig jam and reached out to a supplier partner who already had the product. Although she always tries to cross-utilize ingredients already in Schlotzsky’s portfolio, she brought in the fig jam and “we ended up falling in love with it,” she said. “It gives the sandwich an over-the-top element.”
Keil’s first thought was to layer the turkey, apples and fig jam with brie cheese, “but the brie was fighting with the jam and overpowered the other elements,” she said. The flavor of Swiss cheese worked much better.
To contrast with the smokiness of the turkey, sweetness of the jam, and fat of the cheese, Keil needed some acidity for balance. She turned to her dressing supplier to find a product that would work.
“He had a number of options we could try, so we started with an apple cider balsamic,” she said. “It had a nice bite and tested well, but the sweet Vidalia onion dressing delivered a creamier element and gave the sandwich better balance. And after some more consumer testing, we decided the onion dressing was the best fit.”
Mixed greens and sliced red onions complete the sandwich build. A hot pepper jelly originally tested during the R&D process didn’t make the cut; it added too much spice and there was enough bite from the red onion. All the components are layered on a house-baked sourdough bun, already in inventory. “We tried a jalapeño cheddar bun too, but that conflicted with the other flavors,” she said.
The Apple Harvest Chicken Salad swaps chicken for turkey and adds candied pecans.
The Apple Harvest Chicken Salad cross-utilizes many of the same ingredients, swapping grilled chicken for turkey and adding candied pecans for crunch. Both were already in-house in other applications.
“Deli turkey doesn’t present as well in a salad as a sandwich,” said Keil. “And the chicken has nice grill marks on it and gives us that kind of ‘harvest’ look we wanted.” The creamy Vidalia onion dressing ties the ingredients together.
Designed for travel
A number of Schlotzsky’s locations are drive-thrus, so both the salad and sandwich had to be travel-friendly. With a sandwich, that means not too many wet elements that can turn it soggy.
“We looked at that with the apple in the sandwich, making sure that the moisture enhances the flavor of the sandwich and doesn’t turn out to be a texture we don't want,” said Keil. “With every sandwich we do a hold test to make sure it works in transit.”
With a salad, she aims for portability and “eatability,” so customers can enjoy it in a “graceful” way. “We ask ‘what does that bite look like? Are the lettuce pieces small enough?’” Tougher greens like kale and escarole have less eatability unless they’re marinated, she added.
On the salad side, Schlotzsky’s also expanded its catering menu with a Build Your Own Salad Bar option. It features a blend of romaine and field greens, grilled chicken, cheddar and feta cheeses, croutons, a choice of six premium toppings, two dressings and 20 breadsticks. Although the menu offers composed salads for catering, “one size does not fit all,” Keil said, and this gives guests the chance to customize. The chain is very focused on catering right now, she said.
Schlotzsky’s is also leaning into the snacking customer who comes to the drive-thru in the afternoon looking for a sweet or savory bite. Joining the salads and sandwich in the limited-time fall promotion are Cinnabon Churro Dippers, available in 8- and 12-count sizes with Cinnabon frosting or caramel sauce. Cinnabon, a sister GoTo Foods brand, feeds right into the burgeoning treat culture.