Mainstream flavor
Chains introduce and popularize new flavors as they work hard to meet the demands of the mainstream consumer.

by Nancy Kruse

Wood-fired is one of the preparation methods Il Fornaio features on its menu to promote flavor.

There's no question about it. Flavor is by far the biggest menu trend of the decade, and the factors driving consumer demand for flavor promise to propel it well into the millennium.

Flavor factor:
Driven by the maturing of the Baby Boom generation, the American population is aging. As we age, our palates lose the ability to discriminate taste, and we require a more pronounced flavor punch to enjoy our food. Looking ahead, older Americans will constitute not only the largest and fastest-growingage group but a mass of demanding diners who will view flavor as a necessity in the foods they consume away from home.

Flavor factor:
Asian and Hispanic populations are experiencing double-digit increases. Partly as a result of changing immigration patterns and partly as a result of higher birth rates, their presence will continue to grow and will directly impact flavor, as their preference for more fully flavored foods is assimilated by mainstream menus.

Flavor factor:
According to the National Restaurant Association, over 60% of diners say they expect great-tasting food in restaurants. Operators have done a good job of educating patrons and training their taste buds. The challenge: having set the flavor bar, they are constantly pushed to raise it to keep their menus fresh and interesting.

And there are other factors in the flavor story; for example, the growing culinary influence being felt throughout all segments of the foodservice industry that is elevating the overall level of diner sophistication. Or the interest that globetrotting Americans have in trying at home the exotic dishes they've sampled abroad.

By recognizing and responding to these trends, chain restaurants have become arbiters of our changing tastes as they introduce =and popularize new foods and flavors on a mass-market basis. Indeed, for many years they've functioned as a kind of ad hoc test kitchen, allowing consumers to taste the unfamiliar in comfortable surroundings.

A reading of chain menus shows how menu-development executives work with flavor accents. The most active targets for flavor enhancement generally lie around the center of the plate; items like sauces and dressings, condiments and toppings, rubs and glazes; and appetizers and side dishes can provide patrons a low-risk trial without taxing the capabilities of the kitchen.

Sauces and dressings
Champps	Habanero Hot Sauce
Chili's	Chipotle Ranch Dressing
Cozymel's	Ancho Chile Sauce
La Madeleine	Creamy Poblano Lobster Sauce
TGI Friday's	Cayenne Pepper Sauce
Bandera	Chinatown BBQ Sauce
Carrows	Light Oriental Dressing
Ground Round	Thai Peanut Sauce
Hard Rock Cafe	Chinese Peanut and Honey Lime Dressing
Mimi's Cafe	Rice Vinegar Dressing

FLAVOR TARGET: Sauces and dressings
The dressing category is a natural for new flavors, largely because salad greens are neutral carriers compatible with a wide range of ingredients. What's notable about chain offerings is how closely they synchronize with their patrons' growing comfort with ethnic foods. The Hispanic flavors are bold and feature varietal chilies. This makes sense, since most consumers have moved through the introductory phase of the Mexican/Tex-Mex trend and are ready to be a little more adventurous.

By contrast, the Oriental items are less familiar to most diners and tend to be anchored to the familiar; the use of peanuts or BBQ sauce, for example, provides a kind of culinary safety net that can lead to wider experimentation.

 

Creative condiments
Boston Market	Hickory Ketchup
Champps	Tomato-Kalamata Relish
Chevy's	Black Bean & Corn Relish
Einstein Bros	Raspberry Grain Mustard
Grady's	Creole Mayonnaise
Ground Round	Pinenut & Walnut Pesto Mayonnaise
Houlihan's	Cajun Mustard
On the Border	Chipotle Honey Mustard
Rock Bottom Brewery	Tri-Pepper Compote
Wildfire	Banana Guava Ketchup

FLAVOR TARGET: Creative condiments
It wasn't too long ago that the condiment category was dominated by commodity items viewed as giveaways by operators and as gimmes by customers. But the recent past has seen a dramatic shift in attitude as chain operators from quick-service through full-service have added flavor to their toppers and elevated the value of these menu workhorses.

Dipping sauce is another condiment that has gotten its second wind. Cheesecake Factory's best-selling Avocado Eggrolls appetizer is a case in point; the item is complemented by a Tamarind-Cashew Dipping Sauce. Creative touches like these illustrate both chain commitment to flavor enhancement and the extent to which they are willing to focus on even the smallest details to keep taste buds engaged.

 

Rubs and glazes
Chart House	Green Peppercorn Rub
Cheesecake Factory	Chili Rub
Chevy's	Sweet Jalapeño Glaze
El Torito Guajillo	Chili Rub
Houlihan's	Garlic & Wine Glaze
Landry's	Dijon Honey Glaze
Mt. Jack's/Hungry Hunter	Cider Pepper Glaze
Rio Bravo	San Antonio Chili Rub
Shoney's	Honey Tomato Glaze
TGI Friday's	Jack Daniel's Glaze

FLAVOR TARGET: Rubs and glazes
More and more, chains are touting flavor-enhancing techniques on the menu. It's a high-impact opportunity to promote hands-on involvement and showcase culinary expertise. It's noteworthy that most of the techniques themselves, like rubbing and glazing, are not truly new; what is new is their aggressive promotion on the menu.

A bonus: besides adding flavor, these techniques address the time crunch and what consumers aren't doing or can't do at home. At Shoney's, for example, the Honey Tomato Glaze appears atop the aptly named Mom's Homestyle Meatloaf. Fact is, Mom's not home making the meatloaf, and, even if she were, it's unlikely she'd have time to add the extra flavor boost.

 

Appetizers and sides
Arby's	Jalapeño Bites
Bertucci's	Milanese BBQ Ribs
Champps	Calamari Fritti
Crocodile Cafe	BBQ Duck Quesadilla
East Side Mario's	Mussels Marinara
Grady's	Oriental Satay
Hard Rock Cafe	Santa Fe Spring Rolls
House of Blues	Curry Calamari
Max & Erma's	Black Bean Roll Ups
Red Robin	Caribbean Poppers
Weinerschnitzel	Chili Cheese Bites

FLAVOR TARGET: Appetizers and sides
Menu watchers love to watch appetizers. For years they've been the jumping-off point for new foods on chain menus. Think about it from the customer's perspective: an appetizer represents a small risk/small bite/small cost opportunity to experiment. And the appetizer menu allows chain operators a similar test-drive opportunity. They can address the flavor fad of the moment or sample flavors that may settle in for the long run.

The accompanying appetizer sampler is a great all-in-one look at what's hot on the menu today, since it encompasses flavors from around the globe, reflects the recent appearance on chain menus of specialty proteins like duck, calamari, and mussels, and shows the spread of flavorful finger foods to QSR chains.

Compared to the more active appetizer category, the side-dish category has been, perhaps, a little dowdy and uninspired. But Boston Market and other HMR specialists thrust side dishes into the spotlight, and the impact on the consumer of fresh-looking vegetables, artfully arranged, has caused many chains to reconsider and refurbish their side-dish offerings. It's a category on the cusp of flavor renewal and bears watching. Early signs include Bandera's Roasted Peanut Cole Slaw, Gordon Biersch's Wild Mushroom Ragout, and McCormick & Schmick's Rock Shrimp Hash, all of which turn the side-dish category on its head by making it as appealing as the appetizer listing to the patron.

 

Chain preparation methods
Bob Evans	Wildfire Barbecue
California Pizza Kitchen	Hearth Baking
House of Blues	Backyard Smokehouse
Il Fornaio	Hot Brick/Wood-Fired Grill
Red Lobster	Hickory Plank Baking
Roadhouse Grill	Mesquite Grilling
Rock Bottom Brewery	Cedar Plank Baking
TGI Friday's	Grilling Australian Style

FLAVOR TARGET: Flavorful preparation
In line with techniques like rubbing and glazing, operators are employing and promoting a broad range of preparation approaches. Many of the methods being touted on chain menus will impact labor requirements or otherwise demand changes in the kitchen. By their very nature, most cannot be easily duplicated at home, and the fact that they impart flavor is key to their growing popularity.

If you stop to think about it, this more aggressive promotion of preparation is long overdue. It speaks to the heart of the operation, the area where chains can demonstrate their culinary mettle. Some consumers nurse a lingering suspicion about chain food; they fear that it's "prefabricated" and say it often fails their perceptual fresh test. Both freshness and flavor are smartly addressed by these menuing initiatives.

 

Quick-service flavor
Chesapeake Bagel	Jalapeño Bagel
Dunkin' Donuts	Smoked Salmon Cream Cheese
Einstein Bros	Cheddarpeno Bagel Topping
Godfather's Pizza	Southwest BBQ Pizza
Great Steak & Potato	Chicken Teriyaki Wrap
McDonald's	Spanish Omelette Egg McMuffin
Pizza Inn	Chicken Fajita Pizza
Schlotzsky's	Louisiana Hot Sauce
Taco Time	Classic Thai Wrap
Wendy's	Smoky Bacon Cheeseburger

Quick-service flavor experiments
While full-service menus are reliable signposts of changing flavor preferences, they are by no means the sole indicators of what we like to eat. On the contrary, quick-service restaurants may represent the ultimate barometer of the evolution of American taste. Marrying QSR with flavor might seem contradictory, since the segment is conventionally viewed as being driven by convenience, with food expected to meet just minimum standards of palatability. Not any more. The reality is that QSR menu developers are every bit as attuned to taste as their full-service counterparts.

 

Outlook and opportunity
While chains do a fine job of reflecting the current state of consumer expectations of flavor, a close reading of menus shows they also contain a hint of future flavor direction.

Menus are clearly looking East and embracing exotic Asian cuisines like Indian, whose aromatic spices and seasonings are clearly poised on the brink of mainstream crossover. True to form, chain operators are putting a toe in the water by starting with characteristic condiments like chutney and savory relishes like Chart House's Mint Mango Chutney, McCormick & Schmick's Jalape–o Chutney and Rain Forest Cafe's Apple Chutney.

At the same time, menus are moving toward greater authenticity of flavor. A good example is the shift in barbecue. A long-standing consumer favorite, barbecue on chain menus has generally consisted of a protein that's been grilled and then doused with a sauce Ñ either tomato- or mustard-based, depending on the region. Looking ahead, barbecue will be judged on preparation, with smoking or curing rapidly becoming the method of choice for giving barbecue its true taste. Sauces won't decline in importance; in fact, there will be opportunity for new sauces to accommodate the sharper flavors that result from slow smoking. And smoked-on-premises will become a promotion point on menus. Signs are already present on chain menus, as with Houston's Home-Smoked Salmon appetizer.

Coming at a time when labor is at a premium, the embrace of more complex cuisines and more complicated preparation methods will pose a real challenge for chains. One obvious solution is closer partnership with suppliers to produce items that will allow operators to keep their kitchens on target and their menus on trend. Besides the obvious advantages of labor savings and product consistency, prepared items can be calibrated in flavor intensity to match the preferences of a particular patron base.

Lots of convenience foods are arriving in the kitchen with the flavor built right in to give the operator a flavor solution that's truly customer-ready. The bread category is a case in point. Consider how, even in combination with a standard sandwich filling, flavored doughs can impact the taste profile and provide a more attractive end product. Examples include Bertucci's Caramelized Onion Bread and Lyon's Parmesan-Crusted Grilled Sourdough.

With so many prepared foods receiving similar flavor treatments, from pre-smoked meats to pre-marinated vegetables, the operator has more opportunity than ever to create value, variety and relief from menu fatigue.

Into the future
It's no secret: Chain restaurants do a lot more than supply consumers with meals. They also provide the point of introduction for foodstuffs that become part of our common food vocabulary. Supermarkets know this, and so do their suppliers, who routinely use what's proved successful in restaurants as the basis for their new product efforts.

It's tougher than ever to win the menu game. Competition is multiplying from non-chain sources like resurgent local independents and supermarkets, and consumers are getting smarter and tougher to please. But, based on how chains have masterfully used flavor as the basis for patron-pleasing menus in the past, they should be more than up to the task in the future.