Food & Beverage

Will these LTOs increase fast casual traffic?

Brands have always use limited-time offers to give customers new reasons to visit their stores, but they are doubling down on that strategy as people are finally out of quarantine.

BurgerFi has created the Dunkaroos Shake. Provided.

May 12, 2021

Brands have always use limited-time offers to give customers new reasons to visit their stores, but they are doubling down on that strategy as people are finally out of quarantine, Marie-Claude Laprade, vice president of foodservice strategy and customer marketing for Rich Products Corp., a provider of wholesale food products and ingredients.

"Overall, we are expecting a lot of LTO activity picking up over the spring and summer as operators are eager to drive traffic and consumers are ready to try new foods," Laprade told Fast Casual in an interview.

Below is a round-up of other spring and summer LTOs, but click here to read about the seasons' bold and spicy flavor profiles.

Rubio's Coastal Grill

Chef Richard Blais and Rubio's Co-Founder Ralph Rubio present the chain's latest tacos.

San Diego-based Rubio's Coastal Grill has partnered with James Beard-nominated Cookbook Author and Restaurateur Richard Blais to create a line of adventure-inspired street tacos, according to a company press release. Options include the Hawaiian-inspired Hula Hula Carnitas Taco, the Blaised & Glazed Crispy Chicken Taco, delivering a taco twist on Buffalo chicken, and the Ancho Po-Boy Shrimp Taco, featuring a modern take on classic New Orleans street food.

Available May 20 at locations in California, Arizona and Nevada, guests may mix and match any three street tacos, which come with a side of house black beans and warm tortilla chips.

Rubio's has over 150 locations.

Blaze Pizza
Blaze has hooked up with Tajin, a chili-lime seasoning company, to create the Chipotle Ranch Chicken Pizza, available through June 9 at U.S. locations. The pizza features grilled chicken, mozzarella, feta, red peppers, jalapenos, red onions, olives and arugula — along with Blaze's newest seasonal vegetable, roasted corn and a house-made chipotle ranch dressing. Tajin Clasico Seasoning, a Mexican combination of mild chili peppers, lime and sea salt, tops the pizza.

The chain has also developed an offering available only at its Canadian locations, the Hot Maple Drizzle. It infuses traditional Canadian maple syrup with a blend of chilis, which customers may have drizzled over any custom pizza.

"As the summer season approaches, we are literally turning up the heat by putting a uniquely Blaze spin on a Canadian staple —maple syrup — and giving our guests up north their newest craveworthy pizza topping," Brad Kent, chief culinary officer, said in a company press release.

Founded in 2011, Los Angeles-based Blaze Pizza has than 340 restaurants across 41 states and six countries.

Happy Joe's Pizza and Ice Cream
From May 3 to June 30, Happy Joe's Pizza and Ice Cream is serving the Fiery Taco Joe Pizza topped with Doritos Flamin' Hot Nacho tortilla chips. It also has a limited-time dessert, Mini Empanadas with Nutella, available for $7.99 at participating locations.

The Iowa-based chain has 60 locations.

Ledo Pizza
Ledo Pizza is celebrating the warmer weather with the rollout of a seasonal menu, featuring sandwiches on King's Hawaiian's four-inch buns. They include:

Chicken Caprese — grilled chicken breast, sliced tomato, fresh basil, smoked provolone cheese and a garlic herb aioli.
American Steak and Cheese — Ledo steak, smoked provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato and mayo.
The Buffalo Chicken — crispy chicken tossed in buffalo sauce and topped with sliced pickles.

Ledo PIzza's Buffalo Chicken sandwich

Atlanta Bread Company
Atlanta Bread, which opened in 1993 in a suburb of Atlanta, has debuted several menu items inspired by spring. They include:

Monterey Wrapini, featuring grilled chicken, cheese, avocado, bacon, chipotle ranch, wheat wrap and salsa.
Watermelon Feta Salad, which has mixed greens, spinach, watermelon, cucumber, feta, candied walnuts and balsamic vinaigrette.
Watermelon Mojito Smoothie, fresh watermelon, strawberries and mint.
Side of Fresh-Cut Watermelon, available as a side or as a substitute for chips for an extra charge.
Sweet Watermelon Tea — black iced tea sweetened with a hint of watermelon.
Queenie — strawberry or sugar — delectable buttery pastry sprinkled with sugar crystals.
Super Med Bowl — Mediterranean flavors of spinach, ancient grains, hummus, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, red onion, Kalamata olives, feta cheese and lemon drizzled with olive oil
Tex-Mex Bowl — chicken, greens, ancient grains, cheese, avocado, roasted black beans and corn, cherry tomatoes, topped with chipotle ranch dressing.
Sunrise Bowls — strawberries, bananas, homemade granola, coconut and a honey drizzle or blueberries, bananas, peanut butter and almonds, both with a choice of Greek yogurt or steel-cut oatmeal.
Southwest Bowl — roasted potatoes, fluffy scrambled eggs, pico de gallo, avocado, shredded cheese and choice of breakfast meat.
Power Bowl — ancient grains, spinach, avocado, roasted mushrooms, tomatoes and feta topped with baked sunny-side-up eggs.
Strawberry Banana Chia Seed Smoothie — strawberries, banana and chia seeds.

Original ChopShop

Bellagreen's Green Goddess Salad

Hoping to inspire its customers to eat breakfast, Original ChopShop is kicking off spring by revamping its morning offerings and adding a Power Bowl featuring scrambled egg, bacon, goat cheese, broccoli, mushroom, arugula, brussels sprout and smashed avocado.

Other new additions include the Avo Shake with avocado, banana, spinach, dates, peanut butter, chia pudding, almond milk, vanilla whey protein powder and agave; Upbeet Juice, made with Beet, carrot, green apple, ginger and turmeric, well as the Nanner Crunch Chia Pudding featuring Chia seed, coconut milk, banana, chocolate sauce, almond and granola.

The chain has 15 locations in Phoenix and North Texas and is continuing expansion.

Bellagreen
Texas-based Bellagreen's spring menu highlights colorful, chef-driven dishes like the Green Goddess Salad, Mango Habanero Chicken Wings, Wagyu Bacon Burger, Korean Ribeye Tacos, Lemon Poppyseed Cheesecake and White Sangria, according to a company press release.

Additionally, Bellagreen, which has five locations in Houston and two in DFW, will donate 50 cents from the sale of each featured Rainbow Slaw Paleo Salmon Tacos to Texas Trees Foundation or Trees for Houston.

Bellagreen is also featuring the Paleo Prime Ribeye and Seared Almon-Crusted Snapper as dinner-only "From the Chef" entrees created by Director of Culinary Silvestre Reyes to pair with any of its Sustainability in Practice wines.

Zaxby's
Zaxby's is bringing back fried pickles. The bite-sized side item is available systemwide as a stand-alone snack or as an add-on item.

Zaxby's is bringing back fried pickles

"Fried Pickles are a perennial favorite with our guests, and we can't wait for you to try them with our Signature Sandwich," Zaxby's CMO Joel Bulger said in a company press release." They're crispy and tender at the same time while that tasty dill pickle flavor cuts right through."

Founded in 1990, Zaxby's has over 900 locations in 17 states and is headquartered in Athens, Georgia.

BurgerFi
BurgerFi International Inc. is adding a specialty milkshake to its' menu that will be a "blast from the past" for '90skids. The Florida-based concept is partnering up with General Mills to launch the Dunkaroos Shake in Miami, Florida and New York City for a limited time. The nostalgic shake is available through June 13, 2021, or while supplies last.

"BurgerFi loves to take favorites and put a spin on them. We always are looking on how to elevate our menu items with classic recipes," Paul Griffin, BurgerFi's chief culinary officer, said in a company press release. "For the Dunkaroos shake, we took our classic vanilla shake and added a fun twist to it by combining it with everyone's favorite '90s snack to allow guests to reminisce back to their childhood. We wanted to recreate that fun, magical experience that our guests felt when they opened their lunchbox and saw the best childhood snack."

Dunkaroos made a huge comeback in 2020. The beloved childhood snack, consisting of cookies and frosting for dunking, was first introduced in 1992 but was discontinued in the U.S. in 2012 until it returned in the summer of 2020.

"We have a young, dynamic team at BurgerFi in the same age range as many of our guests," BurgerFi CEO Julio Ramirez said. "And Dunkaroos was part of their childhood. So we're excited about the idea of taking this fun brand and giving it a BurgerFi twist creating a unique offering with our better than ice cream custard shakes."

Established in 2011, BurgerFi has 119 locations.

Newk's Eatery
Newk's has loaded up its spring salads with seasonal fruits like strawberries and blueberries, and nutrient-dense superfoods like avocado and spinach, according to a company press release. They include:

Red, White & Blueberry Salad, made with all-natural chicken breast, fresh spinach, crumbled feta cheese, strawberries, blueberries and watermelon and fat-free raspberry vinaigrette on the side.
Strawberry & Avocado Spinach Salad, which has strawberries, feta cheese, spinach, avocado and bacon. Tossed with house-made balsamic vinaigrette.
Chicken Salad Sandwich, scratch-made with chicken breast, grapes, pecans, red onion, lettuce, tomatoes, provolone and mayo served on 11-grain bread.

"Our new, seasonal items offer guests fresh, fruity flavors to enjoy this spring," Newk's Director of Marketing Katie Twiford said in the release. "Pairing fruits with other signature ingredients offers our guests a sweet and savory flavor experience, whether they're dining with us or having a to-go meal at home with family and friends."

Based in Jackson, Mississippi, Newk's has more than 100 units in 16 states.

La Madeleine is now serving Berries & Cream Cheesecake, an individual cheesecake topped with a fresh strawberry, blueberry and whipped cream.

la Madeleine French Bakery & Cafe
The arrival at spring at la Madeleine French Bakery & Café brings with it new ingredients, and customers may now order the chain's LTOs, including:

Strawberry, Almond and Goat Cheese Salade, spring mix topped with balsamic glazed strawberries, toasted almonds and fresh goat cheese, served with French vinaigrette.
Berries & Cream Cheesecake, an individual cheesecake topped with a fresh strawberry, blueberry and whipped cream.
Berries & Cream Cheesecake.
Lemon Blueberry Danish, dough with lemon filling, topped with blueberries and drizzled with icing.
Mini Liberte Tart — Individual tart topped with glazed raspberries, blueberries and whipped cream.
Lemon White Chocolate Chunk Cookie.

La Madeleine operates more than 86 corporate and franchise bakeries in nine states.

Dickey's Barbecue Pit
Sunny skies have arrived, and Dickey's Barbecue Pit is celebrating with its Sweet King's Hawaiian Pulled Pork Sandwich. Made with hickory-smoked pulled pork on a sweet King's Hawaiian bun, topped with Dr. Pepper-infused barbecue sauce, the sandwich can come with the chain's seasonal side, Texas Sweet Corn.

"May is National Barbecue Month and as we celebrate our 80th Anniversary, we're embracing the arrival of barbecue season by taking our signature Pulled Pork Sandwich up a notch with sweet King's Hawaiian rolls and tangy Dr. Pepper-infused barbecue sauce," Laura Rea Dickey, CEO of Dickey's Barbecue Restaurants, said in a company press release.

Dickey's has more than 500 locations.

Cowboy Chicken's Buffalo Chicken sandwich features a breaded rotisserie chicken breast that is also flash-fried but tossed in tangy Buffalo sauce and served with lettuce, tomato and a choice of ranch or blue cheese.

Cowboy Chicken
Dallas-based Cowboy Chicken Serves is hosting a "sandwich showdown" between its two latest LTOs — the Trail Boss and the Buffalo Chicken sandwiches. Customers may put their taste buds to the test to be entered to win free chicken for a year. The battle for the best ends June 15, according to a company press release.

The Trail Boss — available through July 4 — features a breaded rotisserie chicken breast, flash-fried and topped with lettuce, mayo, sweet and spicy pickles and house-made ranch dressing. The Buffalo Chicken sandwich features a breaded rotisserie chicken breast that is also flash-fried but tossed in tangy Buffalo sauce and served with lettuce, tomato and a choice of ranch or blue cheese.

To enter, diners must vote online for their favorite sandwich and provide their name, email address and phone number. A winner will be drawn on June 15. At the end of the voting period, the sandwich with the most votes will take the title of Sandwich Showdown Champion, and one winner will snag free chicken for a year.

All photos provided