Did you make a resolution this year? Have you abandoned it yet?
It’s getting to be about that time: The second Friday of January has been dubbed “Quitter’s Day,” since it is (according to folks who keep track of such things) the day most people are likely to ditch their New Year’s resolutions.
Anybody who has paid attention to the restaurant industry for more than a minute knows January is the time to introduce health-focused limited-time offers. Think protein. And greens. And protein-packed greens.
Fast-casual salad chain Sweetgreen, as my colleague Pat Cobe noted the other day, is “touting a protein packed, seed oil-free menu for January” featuring Green Goddess Ranch dressing made with seed-free oil.
Chipotle Mexican Grill has reupped its partnership with exercise-tracking app Strava, adding a new “Goals, Gym, Guac” motivational text message community.
And then we have Arby’s, which next week launches its “New Year, Same You” menu. The quick-service chain is billing it as “the only menu designed to help you cheat on your goals without the judgement from your friends and family.”
The chain is “rebranding” its classic menu items with a health-focused twist: A Double Beef ‘N Cheddar becomes a Salad with Dressing, Jamocha Shake is now a Green Smoothie and Crinkle Fries are, of course, Steamed Vegetables.
“In select locations across the country, you can go ahead and order your favorite indulgent classics as ‘healthier’ alternatives so you can tell your friends and family you’re sticking to your resolutions … when you’re really not,” the chain said in a press release. “Your receipt will even help you tell the tale.”
Drive-thru coffee chain Scooter’s Coffee, meanwhile, is inviting customers to “call it quits in style” with half off a cinnamon roll with any drink purchased on Quitter’s Day. (To appeal to the resolutioners, though, the chain does have a new Protein Cold Foam.)
“This offer for a half-price cinnamon roll with purchase of any drink is limited to one per customer,” Scooter’s noted, “regardless of whether your resolutions are still going strong or meeting their untimely end.”
Smoothie King, which earlier this year launched a menu of smoothies geared toward those taking weight-loss drugs like Ozempic, is debuting a Resolution Menu in honor of Quitter’s Day. The lineup includes drinks with names like Metabolism Boost, Gladiator, Pure Recharge, Vegan Mango Kale and Power Meal, and all include significant boosts of protein, fiber and energizing ingredients.
I, for one, think the Vegan Mango Kale would pair nicely with some hot, salty Steamed Vegetables from Arby’s.
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